the intersection
by fluffybluff
Summary: They have been separated for years, and now a certain little boy will be the intersection where they cross path. K&K fic.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: RK isn't mine.

AN: This story is an old, forgotten story I made when I still didn't have an account in . This was the first time I wrote something seriously, but my English wasn't as good as now (well, it's still not that good but at least I made some improvement, lol) so I didn't feel confident enough to upload it. After all these years, I found this fic again in my old diary (yes, I **literally**wrote it on a paper with a pen, lol… a rare thing for me to do nowadays) and I thought, WHAT AN EFFIN MESS!!!! I typed it and fixed it a little, and now I think it's good to go. So please read, review, and enjoy the story :D

**-**

**The Intersection**

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Kenshin never realized that he could enjoy a beach this much. He enjoyed the white sand under his bare feet and the quiet sound of the waves hitting the shore, leaving a darker mark on the ground. But he just stood there, didn't dare to come closer to the water as he was wearing one of his best formal pants and blazer. He never prepared for a leisure time. His business trips brought him to the most beautiful places and he always stayed at the best hotels, but he never had the chance to enjoy the luxury he was living in. He was too busy thinking. He always carried a big load in his brain, and he never let himself to even take a day off.

But that day was different. His client's flight got delayed and suddenly he found himself sitting idly on his bed, not knowing what to do with his three hours off. He looked outside the window and suddenly realized that the hotel he had been staying for three days was facing a beautiful beach.

_I guess it wouldn't hurt to take a little stroll in the beach, _he thought.

He went out and immediately felt out of place. He looked around and saw young people, much like him, dressed in their fine bathing suits, and families were gathered around, having a small picnic. They all looked so happy and relaxed, while he was the only one wearing a black suit and tensed face under the scorching beach sun. He took off his shoes and stood on one spot, watching two little kids running around and playing. Their parents were sitting not far from their kids, but they were having a little picnic by themselves. Kenshin smiled at the sight.

He used to be like that. Skipping work for a vacation, buying things he didn't want to buy, eating things he wouldn't normally eat, just enjoying himself until he lost track of time. He was happy back then, even though he never initiated the vacation, and even though he always managed to cut his short vacation even shorter for work.

She never complained everytime he chose work over her. She would smile understandingly even though she couldn't hide a tinge of disappointment in her eyes. He remembered again, she used to bring colours to his dull life, something that he refused to see until she was gone.

"… It's been six years…" He muttered.

Six long years after she was gone, and before he realized it, he was left older and lonelier day by day.

"Ah! Gomeeen!" a little scream woke him up from his daydream. Kenshin turned his head and saw a little kid with a big cap and primary school uniform running towards him. Then he looked down and saw a ball and a big stain on his pants. He smiled and took the ball from the ground.

"Here you go, little boy, don't worry about the stain," he said while handing the ball to the kid. The kid shyly took the ball and bowed respectfully to the kid.

"Thank you, sir!" He said with a cute voice. Kenshin nodded with a grin and looked around again. He thought the kid was going to leave, but then he put the ball on the ground again. Kenshin looked at him, confused.

"Oro?"

"Please take care of my ball for a little bit, sir!" He said while running away. Kenshin stood there, not knowing what to do, but then the kid returned in a flash. He brought a canned coffee and gave it to him.

"For me?" asked Kenshin. The boy nodded. Kenshin looked at the can and smile. It was a drink his company manufactured, and he remembered how he proposed the initial idea. He opened the can and drank it.

"How is it, sir?" asked the boy. Kenshin nodded with a smile.

"It's very good. This is my favourite drink." He replied.

"Why?" asked the kid. Kenshin grinned and shook the can.

"Because, litte boy, I made this drink." Kenshin answered. The kid looked at him and suddenly hugged him.

"DADDY!!!! SO YOU ARE MY DADDY!!!!" He screamed even louder than before. Kenshin gulped.

"Daddy?"

"YES! Mommy said that my daddy looks a lot like me and he likes the canned coffee because he made it! Daddy is busy but Mommy said if I be a good kid he will come home with a lot of gifts! I got first place at school and I always eat my vegetables, so that you would come home and be with us again!" he said with a happy voice. Kenshin looked at him, still a little confused, and the boy took off his cap.

"Oh." Kenshin's heart fell out. The boy had a dark red hair and a pair of beautiful violet eyes. It was like seeing his childhood picture came to life.

"Come, Daddy! Come home with me!" He said while pulling Kenshin's hand.

"Little boy, I'm sorry, but I am not your dad. I do hope that you find your real dad. I have to go now…" Kenshin said. The boy looked at him, and then started to cry.

"MY DADDY DOESN'T WANT ME!!!!" He cried, and the rest of the people on the beach looked at him curiously. Kenshin sighed, and picked him up.

"Now… Come on… Don't cry like that… Let me take you home, okay?" Kenshin offered. He stopped crying in an instant, and grinned.

"Come, Daddy! We moved to a new house so you don't know where it is!" He said. Kenshin sighed, put him down and put on his shoes. He took his carkey from his pocket and offered the little boy his hand.

"So, little boy, have you ever ridden a car before?"

"No!"

"Well, do you want to go for a car ride with daddy?" asked Kenshin with a grin. The boy's face lit up.

"Really? I love you, Daddy!!!" The little boy chirped and took Kenshin's hand. They walked to the parking lot and found a silver sportscar. Kenshin opened the door for the boy and he climbed up happily. Kenshin sat beside him, fixed his seatbelt, and opened the roof. The boy looked at the moving roof in awe.

"So, shall we?" asked Kenshin. He nodded with excitement.

The place wasn't that far. It was a small café with not a lot of customers in it. The waitresses were relaxing and chattering by themselves but the patrons didn't seem to mind. Kenshin parked the car not far from the café, and he saw all the waitresses stopped talking and looked at the car curiously.

"Come," Kenshin said to the boy. The boy climbed out of the car and held Kenshin's hand again. The waitresses looked a little dazed and then gasped in unison and started whispering to each other. One waitress went closer to Kenshin and the little boy.

"Are you… Himura Kenshin?" she asked.

"Yes…" Kenshin answered, a little confused, and then the waitresses screamed excitedly. The first waitress grinned and whispered to the boy.

"Nice found, Bocchan…" She whispered quite loudly that even Kenshin could hear.

"Excuse me?" Kenshin asked, confused. The waitresses grinned at him.

"Ah, sorry, Himura-sama. Our boss, she's a big fan of you." Said the first waitress.

"Oro?"

"Yeah! She makes scrap books about you! She was so excited when you were voted the most eligible bachelor three years ago and the sexiest businessman in Japan last year! When she was pregnant with our Bocchan, she prayed in front of your picture everyday so that the kid could look like you! And now look at him! Red hair with violet eyes, just like yours!" a braided haired waitress chirped happily.

"Yeah, because of that we started praying as well. Who knows, maybe miracles do exist!" the other waitress added.

"Do you mind if we take a picture of you? Our Boss' birthday is in two weeks and we actually thought of kidnapping you for her, but I guess a signed picture will be fine…" said the first waitress. Kenshin blushed.

"Are you sure? You guys could always give her… I don't know… Jewelries or perfumes… " He asked, a little uncertain. They all nodded excitedly.

"It will be a fabulous birthday present!" one of the waitresses said. The first waitress went into the café and soon came out with a Polaroid. They took five pictures altogether, two of him alone, two with the little boy, and one a little burry picture with the waitresses, taken by the little boy. After he signed everything, he looked at his watch and excused himself. The boy ran and sent him out of the store.

"Daddy, why are the onee-chans taking pictures with you? Are you famous?" asked the boy.

"Your Mommy wanted to see me, right? But I can't stay and wait for her, so they are doing her a favour and take some pictures for her." Kenshin explained with a small smile.

But you'll still come to Mommy's birthday party, right?" he asked. Kenshin sighed.

"I… can't promise you that. I'm very busy, remember? But I will send her a big bouquet of flowers, okay? Mommy likes flowers, right?" Kenshin bargained. The boy nodded happily.

"Mommy loves cakes and flowers!" he said.

"Then, cakes and flowers it is."

"Thank you Daddy!! I love you!!" The kid hugged him and kissed his cheek.

_I love you…_Kenshin actually felt so moved by the innocence of the kid. His sincerity was so new and fresh for his world. He smiled and took out his carkey. With a small tug, he took off the silver car shaped keychain and gave it to the boy.

"Here, for you." He said. The boy looked at the shiny keychain in awe.

"Really?"

"Yeah. Well, I gotta go now. Take care." He got into the car and looked at his watch. The boy waved to him as he drove off. He was late for the meeting, but he felt strangely happy. Soon, his phone rang. He sighed and put on the headset.

"Yes, Sano."

"Where the heck are you?!" Sano hissed at him from the other side of the line. He grinned.

"On the way, Sano… On the way…"

"They're all waiting for you!!"

"Got it."

"Hurry!"

"Sano?"

"Huh? What?"

"I need you to do me a favour."

"What favour?"

"I need you to send a bouquet of flower for a young woman's birthday and some cakes for her son in two weeks."

"CAN'T THAT WAIT??"

"I'll send you the address, okay?"

"SERIOUSLY!!! IS FLIRTING WITH A MARRIED WOMAN MORE IMPORTANT THAN THIS BUSINESS DEAL?!!!"

"Thanks a lot Sano. You've been nothing but helpful to me. See you soon."

Kenshin hung up with a smile in his face. It was funny, because he was always annoyed when he was late, but that day, the last thing he wanted to do was to erase that smile from his face.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: RK and Me and Mrs. Jones are not mine. RK is Nobuhiro Watsuki's, and Me and Mrs. Jones… I think it's Billy Paul's…

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**The Intersection**

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"This is a nice drink, what are you going to call it?" asked Misao while sniffing into the cup. Kaoru smiled while looking at the empty coffee can.

"I'm not sure yet. Himura Blend?" She said with a grin on her face.

Misao looked at her with a weird face. "Are you serious? Just because you made this drink from the coffee his company manufactured?"

Kaoru grinned and blushed. "But this coffee is his favourite coffee as well!"

"What, he only said that on the interview so that the coffee got a good image!"

"No! You don't understand, Misao. This is his hardwork… He made it with his hands from the scratch…" Kaoru mumbled while looking at the coffee can with a big smile in her face. Misao sighed.

"As if he would go and pick the coffee himself and blend it himself."

"But he did!"

"Of course he didn't! It's just a publicity thing! Come on, Kaoru, you need a boyfriend. Let me introduce you to some my graduated seniors."

"Nah, I already have the father of my child." Kaoru said with a singsong voice, pointing at Himura Kenshin's picture on her wall.

"Not IMAGINARY BOYFRIEND!!!!" Misao shook her head while screaming. Kaoru smiled and then waltzed into the kitchen while humming an off tune "Me and Mrs. Jones", only that she tried hard to squeeze in Mr. Himura instead of Mrs. Jones. Misao sighed, but then grinned, knowing that her and the other waitresses' choice of Kaoru's birthday present was right on the target.

After all, Kaoru was always obsessive about Himura Kenshin. There were pictures of Kenshin on her office wall in the back of the café, and she was always looking for magazines or newspapers that have Kenshin's news in it. She kept everything in a scrapbook and sometimes read them during the lunchbreak. Other than that quirky hobby, she was a nice person. Misao met her two years ago when she was looking for a part time job. Kaoru was three years older than her, and was like a sister to her. She always took care of Misao, and it was funny, because at times she seemed like a happy person, as playful as a little kid, but Misao knew how she tried hard to just get on with life.

_**Me and Mrs. Jones**_

_**We got a thing goin'on**_

_**We both know that it's wrong**_

_**But it's much too strong**_

_**To let it go now**_

_**We meet every day at the same cafe**_

_**Six-thirty and no one knows she'll be there**_

_**Holding hands, making all kinds of plans**_

_**While the juke box plays our favorite songs**_

Misao looked up when she saw Kaoru opened her office door so that everyone in the café could listen to the music she played from the old LP. She danced out of the office and put on her apron with a big grin, and a few regular costumers teased her about the song, making her blush. Misao grinned.

"Why this song, though, Kaoru?" asked her.

"This song? My Mr. Himura is married, right? I can only be his secret affair. It's just damn sad that he had to get married two years ago. He should just, I don't know, be his gorgeous, single self." Kaoru answered playfully. Misao glared at her.

"You're crazy. You need a doctor. Stop that song right now." She demanded.

Kaoru grinned. "Of course that's not the reason, Misao! I just like listening to the song. _Me… and… Mr. Himura…_"

Misao shook her head. "Man, you're one crazy lady."

"Why thank you, Misao. At least I'm a lady." Kaoru curtsied and went back to making drinks.

*****

_**Me and Mrs. Jones  
We got a thing goin'on  
We both know that it's wrong  
But it's much too strong  
To let it go now**_

_**We gotta be extra careful  
That do we don't build our hopes up too high  
Because she's got her own obligations  
And so, and so, do I**_

"I like this song."

Kenshin looked up from his paperwork to see his wife standing in front of him. She was as beautiful as ever, and Kenshin admitted it. If her long hair, deep black eyes and slender figure wasn't enough, elegant and graceful airs that surrounded her would definitely make everybody turn their heads towards her.

Kenshin smiled. Oh, how he loved to be with her before.

"Hi Tomoe." He stood up and gave her a light hug. Tomoe sat down on the chair in front of him, and he sat back down on his desk. She looked at the calendar and smiled slightly.

"You circled our anniversary. I'm flattered." She said. Kenshin smiled.

"Yeah? I do love our marriage, even though I'm still trying to figure out how to get you out of this." He said. Tomoe put her hand on Kenshin's hands, but then her eyes fell onto his chainless keys.

"You don't use the keychain I got you anymore?" She asked. Kenshin shook his head with a grin on his face.

"About that, funny story. I met this kid on the beach last week, and I gave the keychain to him. It turned out that the mother is a big fan of me! How funny is that?"

"You're actually famous." Tomoe said with a small smile. Kenshin shrugged.

"Yeah, that's very unexpected and creepy. Flattering, but creepy nonetheless." He said. Tomoe chuckled a little, and took out a beautiful pale purple .

"Here, I picked the invitation for our anniversary party." Kenshin took it and examined it.

"Nice colour, though I prefer a stronger purple, like magenta." He said with a smile. Tomoe took the invitation and put it back into her bag.

"What does it matter, Kenshin?"

They looked at each other meaningfully, and sighed at the same time. Kenshin smiled bitterly and Tomoe looked away.

"Maybe we should just learn to love each other. We have loved each other before, right, Kenshin?" she asked with a soft voice. Kenshin shook his head.

"You still have a chance to be with the one you love. Don't waste it. Don't be me." He said bitterly. Tomoe sighed, went closer to Kenshin, and kissed his temple, before leaving him alone in his office.

Kenshin stood up and repeated the song in his computer. Me and Mrs. Jones, sang by Billy Paul. Recorded in 1972. It tells a story about Mrs. Jones' love affair. It was her favourite song, even though sometime he was wondering whether she played it just to send him a beautiful, jazzy innuendo. He closed his eyes and trying to remember the whole lyric of the song.

_**Me and Mrs. Jones  
We got a thing goin'on  
We both know that it's wrong  
But it's much too strong  
To let it go now**_

_**Well, it's time for us to be leaving  
It hurts so much, it hurts so much inside  
Now she'll go her way and I'll go mine  
Tomorrow we'll meet  
The same place, the same time**_

"_Kenshin… Just for today, hold me…"_

Kenshin opened his eyes.

"You knew…" He whispered quietly while watching the sun setting from his window on the thirteenth floor.

What she didn't know was, his feelings have changed a long time ago. Even before she left. He just didn't know it.

It is true when people said you don't know what you've got 'til it's gone.

*****

"Hey, Kaoru? Can you come to the café now?"

"Misao, I'm napping."

"But Ken-chan puked! We played around with some cats from the neighbours and he started puking! It's so scary!" Misao chirped. Kaoru sat up on her old sofa and sighed. There goes her beauty sleep before the night shift started. She put on her jacket and made her way to the café as fast as possible. When she arrived, the café was dark and quiet even though the sign on the door said "open".

"Weird." She mumbled as she opened the door. Suddenly the room became bright and everyone jumped from behind chairs and tables with confetti and paper trumpet.

"SURPRISEE!!!!" They all sreamed in unison and threw confetti at Kaoru. Kaoru looked at them, between shock and dazed. She looked at the HAPPY BIRTHDAY banner on top of the bar, but still too startled to understand.

"Surprise, what?" She asked. Misao laughed.

"Your birthday, silly!" She said while hugging Kaoru. Everyone clapped their hands and hugged Kaoru as well. Kaoru blushed, a little embarrassed that she had forgotten her own birthday, and flattered as well. For six years, never once did they miss her birthday.

"Thanks, Misao, Omasu, Okon, Shiro, Kuro, Kenji…" She said gratefully. Misao nodded while looking at Kenji with a grin.

"Bocchan helped too, isn't that right?" She asked Kenji. Kenji nodded proudly.

"I made the HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" He said while pointing at the big banner. Kaoru kissed his cheek and thanked him. Shiro and Kuro took out a big chocolate cake with a lot of cherries and twenty six candles on it. Kaoru smiled.

"My favourite cake! Chocolate with cherries! How do you guys know?" She asked excitedly. Everyone looked at each other and shrugged. Kaoru counted the candles and blushed.

"Oh my god. I'm old." She said.

"You're not old, you're matured." Misao replied. Kaoru shrugged, made a wish and blew the candles in one go. Then everyone went and have her little presents. A bottle of perfume from Okon and Omasu, a lipstick from Misao, a drawing from Kenji, and a bag from Shiro and Kuro, which Kaoru realized was picked by Misao.

"Thank you guys…" She hugged everyone and thanked them. Misao shook her head playfully.

"That's not all, Kaoru." She said while taking a big envelope and handed it to Kaoru. Kaoru opened the envelope and froze. Several pictures of Kenshin, complete with the signature, fell out of the envelope. Everyone was impatiently waiting for her reaction, but she was freezing, looking at the pictures on the floor.

"Do you not like it, Kaoru?" Asked Misao anxiously. Kaoru snapped out of her thoughts and smiled as she bent down to get all of the pictures from the floor. She hugged Misao and kissed her cheek.

"Oh my God Misao! I am beyond words now… Where did you see him?" asked Kaoru. Misao grinned and patted Kenji's head.

"Bocchan brought him to us!" She said. Kaoru frowned in confusion but the others were too excited to realized.

"Not only that, look inside your office!" added Okon while pushing Kaoru inside her office. Kaoru gasped. First, a scent of Jasmine filled up the room. Then Kaoru saw a medium sized bouquet with the most unusual flower arrangement. Full bloom pink China roses gathered together in the middle, framed by white Arabian Jasmine and a little bit of fresh green leaves popping out. The small card was still stuck on the bouquet.

"It's from Himura Kenshin! It came with the big cake we ate earlier!" Misao said excitedly. Kaoru took the card read it.

_Dear Boss-san,_

_Happy Birthday,_

_Wish you all the best._

_Himura Kenshin_

Kaoru froze in shock again for a second before realizing that everyone were looking at her, a little worried. She turned around and smile.

"I'm shocked. Seriously." She finally said. Misao and the rest grinned in relief and Kenji hugged Kaoru.

"See, Mommy? Kenji has been a good boy, and that's why Daddy came home!" He said with an innocent voice.

Kaoru looked at him in horror. "Daddy?"

Kenji nodded happily. "Daddy gave me this! See?" He showed her a silver car keychain. Kaoru looked at him in horror.

"He gave you THIS?" she asked rather loudly. Kenji nodded and put the keychain back into his pocket.

"It's a gift, because Kenji has been good. Daddy said it himself." He said happily. Kaoru looked at Misao, a little worried. Misao sighed.

"Well Kaoru, what do you expect? You told him that his father looks like him! And of course that's what he thought the first time he met Himura Kenshin. Himura sent him here the day we took his pictures." She said.

Kaoru nodded. "I see." She then bent down and looked at Kenji.

"Listen, Ken-chan. Mommy is so sorry, but that guy isn't your daddy. Daddy is somewhere, working for Kenji and Mommy's wellbeing, and he is not coming back anytime soon." She said with a soft voice. Kenji's eyes became watery in a second, and he started to sob.

"But he said HE'S DADDY!!!" He screamed and sobbed. Kaoru sighed.

"He lied to you because he likes you very much. But he's not Daddy." Kaoru insisted. Kenji sobbed and ran out of the room. Okon and Omasu chased him, while Misao looked at Kaoru weirdly.

"What the hell was that?" asked Misao, a little annoyed. Kaoru looked at her sternly.

"I'm not going to give Kenji false hopes about that guy." She said. Misao snorted.

"All these years you have given him false hopes! Saying that 'Daddy is outside working for Mommy and Kenji'… Saying that Daddy's going to come home with a lot of toy gifts if Kenji is good… Come on! We all know that Kenji's dad is-"

"Kenji's dad is what?" asked Kaoru with a grim voice. Misao pressed her lips together.

"You got pregnant and he left. There, I said it." Misao said. Kaoru smiled bitterly and shook her head in disbelief.

"I can't believe you just said that. Kenji's dad is a great person. I left him because I don't want to be a burden to him. Now stop judging me for how I conceived or how I raised my son." She said with a sharp voice. Misao sighed.

"Fine. I'm sorry for butting into your family affair. Happy birthday." She said before leaving the room. Kaoru sighed and turned on the gramophone.

_**Me and Mrs. Jones  
We got a thing goin'on  
We both know that it's wrong  
But it's much too strong  
To let it go now  
**_

"Me… and… Mr… Mr Himura…" She sang while looking at the flower bouquet with longing eyes. China Rose and Arabian Jasmine, her two favourite flowers. Chocolate cake with cherries. Her favourite cake. It felt like Himura Kenshin had known her for years.

If only.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: Standard

AN: I'm soooo sorry! The last 2 chapters I made weird mistakes, thanks a lot policis and poems2songs to notice it! Please don't hesitate to point out mistakes or give me advice :D I added the part where Kenji had a fight with his friend just when I'm editing this story. Reason is, I'm part timing at a daycare, and I saw the same scene that Kenji experienced in this fic with my own eyes (I actually copied the exact words the kid was using and added some words here and there to match the story, and yes, they know what a loose woman is and what it means to sleep around. I cant believe they're still 6 years old). It shocked me how much a kid can pick up from their surroundings and it made me realize that kids are smarter, more mature and more knowledgeable than we all thought. I really think that parents should watch their mouth when they are around their kids, be it fighting, or gossiping, or just talking on a phone, coz I think that letting kids hear these kinds of things are much, much worse than merely letting them learn one or two swear words. It seems that parents don't notice that at all, thinking that if they don't swear in front of their kids, everything will be peachy. Anyways, enough for the speech, back to the story :p

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**The Intersection**

-

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The afternoon was getting cooler, when Misao found Kaoru sat on the cafe's outside bench, looking a little lost and absent minded. Misao knocked the bench to give her a sign that she was there, and Kaoru looked up with a tired face. Apparently Kenji was not talking to her after the birthday incident. For these past three days, Misao had been taking care of Kenji in her place.

"I'm sorry, Misao." She said with a sad face.

"Don't worry, Kaoru, that's what friends are for." Misao replied while giving her a comforting pat on the back.

"What about Kenji?"

"He insisted to meet the 'father' now."

Kaoru sighed and massaged her head. "It's my fault. I shouldn't have done that. You were right. I was freaking out. I did him wrong."

"You're not wrong, Kaoru. It's better to tell him sooner than to get his hopes high." Assured Misao. Kaoru smiled and nodded.

"Yeah? Thanks. So, what did you say to Kenji?" she asked. Misao grinned.

"Well I told him to send Himura Kenshin a letter and see if he replied." She said. Kaoru looked at her, shocked.

"You did WHAT?"

"Relax, Kaoru. Obviously it's not going to reach Himura Kenshin. Heck, it's not gonna reach anyone higher than the receptionist."

"You lied to my son."

"I didn't. I gave Kenji Himura's company address I found on the job vacancy list. Technically, I'm not lying to him." Misao explained. Kaoru frowned.

"How is it going to make Kenji any better?"

"Well I told him that if Himura really is his father, he will come to the parent visitation day next week. Then I said, 'you better trust your Mommy because I know you'll get hurt.' But, well, he insisted to send the letter."

Kaoru looked at Misao in horror. "Do you, by any chance, realize that my son is SIX? Thanks to you, he'll spend his teenage years grinding with some pretty boys in gay bars just because he longed for a fatherly affection!"

"You're confusing _that_ with Oedipus Complex. Trust me, he's not missing out on 'fatherly affection' as long as you're around. I know that. I'm a psychologist-to-be."

"Yeah, and how can I trust a psychologist to be who is currently repeating her third year?"

"Hey! That hurts!" Misao protested. Kaoru stuck her tongue and went inside the café to prepare for the lunch rush.

*****

"Hey, Kenji, I saw you in front of the post office today morning." Said Mori, Kenji's classmate. Kenji looked at him.

"How do you know?"

"Oh, Daddy works as a postman. I'm always riding his motorcycle every morning." He said proudly.

"Are you sending a letter?" asked his other classmate, Yuji. Kenji nodded with a big smile on his face.

"Yeah! I sent a letter to my daddy!" Kenji said happily. Yuji snorted.

"Liar! You don't have a Daddy."

"I do! He looks just like me!"

"Mommy said your mom is easy and crazy! That is why you don't have a Daddy!" (AN: omg, that rhymes…)

"No! Daddy is in Tokyo, working for Mommy and Kenji!" Kenji defended. Yuji laughed.

"Mommy said, your mommy is a loose woman! She doesn't know which one your daddy is so she made up a lie to you!!"

"You don't know anything!!! Daddy is rich and he has a cool car and he drove me home the other day!!" Kenji screamed.

"Boo! Kenji and his Mommy are liars!" Yuji taunted him. Kenji's face became red and pushed Yuji. Yuji screamed and pushed him back.

"Kenji is a liar!! You show your daddy to us then we will believe you! Or else you and your mommy are crazy liars!"

"MY MOMMY IS NOT A CRAZY LIAR!!!!" Kenji jumped and bit Yuji's hand. Yuji screamed and cried, and started hitting Kenji on the head. The teachers came and separated them, while the whole class were watching in silent.

"Alright, enough, kids! Come to the principal's office now!" said the teacher. Kenji and Yuji, who were sobbing, walked to the principal's office together with the teacher.

*****

Kaoru was busy making drinks when the phone rang. Juggling between two bottles of cranberry juice and six empty glasses, she finally reached the phone and answered it.

"Hello, Kao's Kitchen, may I help you?" She was ready to take the order with her small notebook and a pencil on her hands, but the phone call turned out to be from Kenji's school. She went pale, mumbling a few words, and hung up. She then turned around and looked at Misao.

"Misao, Kenji bit a boy in his class, and now I need to go to his school right now." She said, still a little stunned at the news. Misao, Okon, Omasu, Shirou and Kurou froze in their spots as well. They were quite surprised, because Kenji never got into a trouble before this. He was always cute and calm. He never whined or threw a tantrum at anyone.

"Okay… Uh… We'll take care of the café." Misao said, trying to hide the anxiety in her voice. Kaoru smiled tiredly, took her jacket and left with her bicycle.

When she arrived, she saw Yuji, Kenji, and Yuji's mother in the principal's office. Kaoru cleared her throat nervously and sat beside Yuji's mother. The principal's secretary came and served her and Yuji's mother some coffee. Soon, the principal came with two folders and sat in front of them.

"Kamiya-san, Ueno-san." He nodded his head formally, and Kaoru and Yuji's mother nodded in return. Yuji's mother looked at Kaoru in disgust.

"Her ill-bred son bit my son." She accused. Kaoru glared at her. The principal cleared his throat.

"We are not here to blame each other. We are here to get the story straight and apologize to each other." He said calmly. Yuji's mother frowned in displease.

"My son got bitten and you told him to apologize?" She asked, a little annoyed. Kenji grunted.

"Yuji said that Mommy is a crazy loose woman." He said with an angry tone. Kaoru, Yuji's mother, and the principal looked at Kenji in shock.

"My mommy said so! And she is always right!" Yuji defended himself. Kaoru and the principal looked at Yuji's mother, and Yuji's mother blushed. Kenji slapped Yuji and Yuji slapped him back. Soon they were back to where they were, on the floor, wrestling each other. Kaoru and Yuji's mother screamed and separated the kids. The principals sighed.

"Okay, now. Yuji, you have to apologize to Kenji for saying bad things to him, and Kenji, you have to apologize to Yuji for biting him."

"I won't apologize. He's lying to everyone and I am not apologizing to a liar." Yuji said stubbornly.

"I won't either. He talks bad about my mom." Replied Kenji with the same stubborn tone. The principal sighed and looked at Kaoru and Yuji's mother, with a hope that they would help him solve this problem. Kaoru looked away and Yuji's mother glared at him.

"I agree with my son, Sensei. This ill-bred, uneducated child must've gone out of line. It is not surprising, coming from a child with such background." Yuji's mother said. Kaoru lifted her left eyebrow.

"Yeah? Well, I don't teach my son to call their friends' mother a mental whore, so I don't really know who's the uneducated and ill-breed one here. I won't let my son apologize to your little monster there either." Kaoru replied with hatred in her voice. The principal knocked his table and cleared his throat.

"Enough, four of you. If you all don't want to apologize, fine. But please respect one another in the future." With that, he dismissed the meeting. Yuji, her mother, Kenji and Kaoru got out of the office while still looking at each other with hatred.

"Daddy will be coming to the parent visitation day." Kenji said with a small voice. Yuji snorted.

"Fine. If your daddy doesn't come, then your lunch milk is mine for a month."

"Fine."

They both looked at each other fiercely and turned away at the same time, and Kaoru almost laughed because it looked like a scene taken from a mafia movie. But she kept her serious face, and looked at Yuji's mother. She looked at Kaoru back and whispered.

"I'll let it slide this once, but remember, don't mess with me or my son. My husband is an influential person in education world, and I could get your son kicked out of the school anytime I want. Of course I am not the type to abuse my husband's power, but when it gets too annoying for me, I might have to tell him to help me deal with it. That's what a marriage life is about, helping each other and such. Not that I expect you to understand, with your current situation." She said with a mocking tone. Kaoru stared at her with an amused face.

"Ah, don't worry, me and my son won't mess with anyone if they don't mess with us first. And just so you know, neither you nor your husband can scare me. So keep your threat to yourself. A little reminder, if you keep that attitude up, your husband might leave you for a nicer, prettier lady out there." She replied back with an innocent smile, and left with Kenji.

Outside the school, Kaoru stopped walking and bent down to see Kenji's face. His left temple was bruised a little, but other than that he seemed okay. Kaoru ran her finger lightly to his bruise and sighed sadly. Suddenly Kenji hugged her and kissed her cheek.

"Sorry, Mommy." He said with a shaky voice. Kaoru buried her face in his small shoulder and wiped her teary eyes with his collar.

"Don't worry, Ken-chan. Mommy will always protect you, no matter what."

For the first time in her life, Kaoru thought that it would be easier if Kenji had a complete family. She never thought that it would be that hard to raise a child by herself. She didn't know what she had done wrong up to now. She never complained about how many hours she had to work, nor did she ever care about the rumours of her and her little boy. She knew that when she left she would have nothing to lean on and she had to work for herself. She knew that a pregnant girl living by herself would create suspicious and negative rumours and she was ready for that. But she wasn't ready to reveal that world to her dear son. She should have known that one day someone would just slip and gave out the bad rumours to her son's ears. She wasn't ready for that; after all, she had lived peacefully and happily for the last six years.

"Apparently it's not enough." She mumbled to herself and sighed.

*****

Sano never liked when her secret rendezvous with a certain doctor was interrupted, even though technically it was his fault for making out in the middle of his job as a legal consultant. He only worked especially for Kenshin, and even then he managed to get his hands full with problems. He needed a break sometimes, and he got really mad when someone ruined the break for him.

"WHAT?!" He shouted at the machine. The hesitant secretary cleared her throat.

"Sir, there's a particular letter sent to our HR department and-"

"I am a legal consultant! Why should I even bother myself with staff recruitment?!"

"Sir, you might want to see it for yourself." She said with an anxious voice. Sano sighed and looked at the doctor in his embrace.

"Sorry, Megumi. I don't know what this is all about." He let go of her and opened the door. The secretary gave him the letter and he frowned.

"So you're showing this to me because… of the horrible handwriting?" asked Sano, puzzled. The secretary shook her head.

"No, Sir. Please look at the sender's name." she said. Sano turned the sealed letter around and frowned. He dismissed the secretary and locked his office door. He moved the letter around and looked at Megumi with a confused face.

"Hey, Megumi, do you, by any chance, remember anyone from Kamiya Household named Kenji?" He asked curiously. Megumi frowned and took the letter from Sano's hand.

"Kenji? No. But the way he wrote his surname is the same as the Kamiya we know." She said. She then caught a familiar character on Kenji's first name.

"Hey, Sano? How rare is it to find someone with the character of sword in his name?" asked Megumi quietly. Sano read the name carefully and smirked.

"The way of the sword? Lame." He said. Megumi gulped.

"There's only one more person with the character 'sword' in his name." Megumi said slowly. Sano snorted.

"Yeah. Kenshin. Heart of Sword. What kind of name is that? He-"

Sano stopped and looked at the envelope more attentively. The writing on the envelope was not only sloppy, but too childish for someone who was going to apply for a job. Come to think of it, no one would send a resume with a pink envelope and use bright blue colouring pencil to write the address. He looked at Megumi in horror. Megumi gulped again and opened the letter with shaky hands. The two of them buried their heads inside the letter, trying to figure out what did the sloppy handwriting said.

Sano grunted. "I need to tell Kenshin about this."

With a pale face, he grabbed the letter and sprinted away.

* * *

A LITTLE EXPLANATION:

For those who are not familiar with Japanese writings, let me explain a little. Japanese writing has a lot of characters that has different shape, different meanings, but same pronunciation. It means that you can write "KAMIYA" or "KENJI" with at least ten different kinds and combinations of characters. My Japanese friends usually will start a conversation with someone (Japanese) they've just met by asking how they write their name. Like if your name is "Yuki", they might ask you if the character is "snow" or "happiness". Well something like that.

"Ken" with the character of sword is not a common name. Some people considered it a bad luck (because sword is sharp, dangerous, and aggressive) so it's never really used. However, I do think it's a cool name, lol… ;P


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: Standard

AN: HI everyone! Darn, even the last chapter was filled with mistakes! Thank you so much for everyone who pointed them out and thanks for the reviews and critics. Much appreciated! Btw, are you familiar with Japanese primary school tradition? They have this one day when parents come to "study" together with their kids, basically seeing how the school operates and at the end, some schools even have a parent-teacher consultation. It was a fun experience I had when I was in Japan. I'm not really sure what to call that day in English, so let's just say that it's called parent visitation day. Now we're off to see Kenji in his school! Enjoy!

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**The Intersection**

-

-

Kenshin sighed at the email he just received. It was his father, emailing from somewhere in Europe. He never gave Kenshin a single "how are you" or "are you doing okay". He was very formal to him and he only talked about business and he sent a lot of paperworks everytime he emailed him. Of course, a grandfatherly question, nagging about wanting a grandchild, was brought up once in awhile. Though, Kenshin never liked the way he rephrased the question.

_Have you and Tomoe produced an heir for our company's future yet?_

Kenshin smiled bitterly. Behind his kind face, he used to be an ambitious, iron hearted man. He wanted power, business expansion, and he worked day and night for that to happen. Now that he was almost there, he felt like he couldn't run anymore. He wanted a happy, peaceful life. He wanted a warm house, his loved one, and loving children around him. Maybe he grew old and weary; maybe he was just too tired for the whole game and drama.

"You're twenty nine, Kenshin. Why are you so tired?" He asked himself while pouring a cup of coffee from the espresso machine. He was awakened from his thoughts when Sano came in without permission.

"Hey Kenshin, your son wants you to go to his parent visitation day." Sano said while throwing him the invitation. Kenshin frowned.

"What son?" He asked, read the invitation and looked at Sano with a clueless face.

Sano sighed and gave the rest of the letter. "Here."

Kenshin looked at the letter and choked on his own coffee. "What the hell is this?" He asked. Sano shrugged.

"I was hoping you could tell me."

"I don't know this kid!" Kenshin said, a little confused. Then he stopped and reread the letter. He examined the name and looked at Sano. He then looked at the letter, the sender's address and read the invitation.

"Hey Sano, when did you receive this letter?" he asked. Sano shrugged.

"Ten minutes ago. Why?"

"Other than the afternoon meeting, we don't have anything else, right?"

"No, but tomorrow you have to be in seminar." Sano reminded him. Kenshin sighed.

"Can you please go in my place? I'll make it up to you later."

"Sure, but why?" asked Sano. Kenshin shrugged and pressed the dialing button on his office phone and pressed his secretary's extension number.

"Mrs. Masuda? Can you book me a flight to Okinawa for tonight?" asked Kenshin politely. Sano's eyes popped out and he glared at Kenshin as if he was crazy. Kenshin thanked the secretary and hung up, and Sano grabbed his collar.

"You've found her, haven't you?" asked Sano suspiciously. Kenshin shook his head.

"What made you think that, Sano?"

"Just last week you made me send roses and jasmine, and chocolate cherry cake to some Okinawan lady. Now, you are actually going to Okinawa to attend a parent visitation day. Don't ever think that I've forgotten her two favourite flowers and her favourite cake." Sano said. Kenshin shrugged.

"I just thought that jasmine and rose are nice, and the chocolate cherry cake is delicious."

"Then? Why are you going to Okinawa now?"

Kenshin looked at him with a glint of sparked emotion in his calm violet eyes. "The same thing we have been doing for the past six years, Sano. Looking for her."

"We've been looking everywhere, Kenshin." Sano said. Kenshin looked at the letter with an excited face.

"Don't you see? This letter might lead me to her. I'm sure of it this time." He explained.

"Yeah? And what would you do if you found her?" asked Sano. Kenshin smiled.

"I need her forgiveness and explanation." He answered lightly. Sano sighed.

"You're serious, aren't you?"

"Yeah."

*****

Kaoru tiptoed towards Kenji's room quietly. She opened the door, peeked inside and saw Kenji studying in his small table. Kenji turned around and smiled at his mother.

"Mommy." He said. Kaoru grinned and went into the room.

"Listen, sweety… I have bad news for you…" She said with an apologizing face.

"Yeah?"

"Do you remember the guy that comes every three months to check upon Mommy's café?"

"The heath interceptor?" asked Kenji. Kaoru grinned and nodded.

"Yes, honey, the health inspector." She corrected him.

"What about him?"

"Well, he's coming on a short notice tomorrow, and I can't go to the parent visitation day..." Kaoru explained. Kenji shrugged.

"Okay. But please kick him for me." He said with a funny voice. Kaoru laughed.

"That's not nice… He has helped your mommy a lot of times and we have to be grateful for that." Kaoru warned him, even though she did it with a funny glint in her eyes. Kenji pouted.

"Can you at least make it after lunch?" Kenji bargained. Kaoru smiled.

"We'll see about that, okay, Ken-chan?" she asked. Kenji nodded.

"Tell the inseptor not to come during the parent visitation day, or sports festival, or cultural festival…"

"Alright, I will tell the _inspector_ right away." Kaoru corrected again. Kenji smiled and turned around to do his homework, and Kaoru kissed Kenji on the cheek before heading out to prepare for tomorrow's inspection.

*****

"Where is your Daddy, Kenji?" asked Yuji. Kenji glared at him, and Yuji laughed.

"Kenji is a liar." He said again. Kenji snorted.

"Daddy is a busy man." He said.

"But he promised you to come, didn't he?" Yuji insisted. Kenji shook his head.

"No. But I asked him to come."

"Kenji is a liaaaarr…" Yuji taunted him. Kenji grunted and moved his bag to the empty seat, far away from Yuji.

The class started at nine. The teacher entered the classroom and the whole class stood up to greet him. He greeted the whole class back and started to talk about the parent visitation day. He gave the class some instructions about how the visitation day worked and during that time, Yuji kept on mouthing and taunting Kenji. Kenji's face became really red but he decided to listen to her mother and kept quiet.

Soon, the parents came into the class. The kids turned around and tried to find their parents excitedly as the adults took their seats on the chairs arranged at the back of the class. Kenji turned around and saw Misao waving at him.

"Bocchan…" She mouthed with a grin. Kenji waved at her excitedly, but then nodded coolly like a grown up when he found out that Chizuru, the girl he had a crush with, was looking at him.

The first lesson for the day was math. Kenji answered a few questions, but he didn't seem too psyched about it. He was a little distracted and he kept on looking at the door. Misao knew that he was waiting for "Daddy", and she knew that the "Daddy" wasn't going to be here no matter how hard he looked.

"…_Yeah, that red haired kid there…"_

Misao turned around to see a group of mothers giggling and gasping by themselves. She leaned back so that she could hear the conversation.

"…_The café owner's bastard son…"_

"… _Oh my God, my husband likes to go there…"_

"…_Careful, she preys on married men…"_

"… _She's obsessed with that rich businessman in the magazine…"_

"…_Oh the Himura guy, he is hot, though…"_

"…_Yeah, I heard she forced her kid to dye his hair red so that he looks like that businessman…"_

"… _I heard she's crazy and she's going to use his son to sue that Himura guy for impregnating him…"  
_

"…_That's scary…"_

Misao clenched her teeth and was about to burst when suddenly someone opened the door. Misao and the rest of the class turned around to see the latecomer, only to get a big shock. Misao's eyes popped out, and the other parents looked like as if they had a heart attack.

"Sorry I'm late." Said his panting voice. His red hair was tied up into a messy lowtail, and he was wearing a shirt with folded sleeves, and a pair of black pants. No matter how tired and messy he looked, he still managed to get all the ladies in the room to blush and stare.

Misao screamed and the group of mothers who were talking earlier couldn't take their eyes off him. Kenji turned around and stood up with a big smile on his face.

"Daddy!" He screamed.

"Hi Kenji." Kenshin smiled. Kenji ran and hugged him, while Kenshin looked a little awkward, since the whole class' attention now went to them. Kenji turned around and grinned at Yuji.

"This is my Daddy. MY DADDY!!" He screamed excitedly and victoriously, while Kenshin blushed.

"Go back to your seat, Kenji, I'll be sitting at the back…" He said to Kenji. He then looked around and smiled an apologetic smile to everyone in the room. "Sorry about the intrusion. Please continue, teacher." He continued while sitting down. Misao looked at Kenshin with a stunned face. Kenshin smiled.

"You are the waitress, aren't you?" asked Kenshin. Misao nodded, but she was too confused to say anything. Kenshin smiled.

"Where's the mother?" He asked again with smaller voice. Misao gulped.

"Uh… At home… I mean, the café… She has something to do there…" Misao stuttered. Kenshin nodded.

"I never get to know your name, Miss…"

"Misao…"

"Misao-san. Right. So Kaoru is not going to come?" He asked lightly. Misao looked at him between awed and creeped out.

"How… How do you know Kaoru…?" asked Misao curiously. Kenshin flashed a faint smile and then turned his head to pay attention to the teacher and the students. Misao sighed, and peeked on the mothers at the back, who now stopped talking and looked very confused.

"…_That's the real Himura Kenshin…"_

"… _But he's supposed to be married to that other woman…"_

"… _Looks like they are openly announcing their affair…"_

Misao sighed. Gossipers would never change. Fatherless or not, Kenji would be the "bastard" child and they wouldn't stop talking about Kaoru. She looked at Kenshin, who sighed and looked a little upset. Apparently he heard the conversation as well.

Kenshin went out halfway, but when the class ended, he came back to pick Misao and Kenji up. He came into the class and saw Kenji talking to a bigger boy.

"Yuji, you are not allowed to tease my mom from now on!" said Kenji. Yuji's face became red.

"Fine." He grunted.

"You have to apologize as well!" Kenji demanded. Yuji looked away, but mumbled a quiet sorry. Kenji grinned, satisfied. Kenshin frowned.

"So, what are you boys doing?" asked Kenshin kindly. Kenji hugged Kenshin.

"Nothing. I told Yuji that he can't tease Mommy anymore and apologize to me." Kenji said proudly. Kenshin looked at him.

"Yeah? What did he say?"

"He said Mommy is crazy and liar." Kenji said. Yuji ran to Kenshin and showed a bitemark on his arm.

"Kenji bit me as well." He said while showing the blue mark. Kenshin smiled and patted Kenji's hair.

"Now that Yuji has apologized, you have to apologize as well, Kenji. You bit him, after all."

"But I bit him because he said bad stuff about Mommy!"

"But he already apologized, right?" asked Kenshin. Kenji stayed quiet for a second, and then looked at Yuji.

"Sorry." He said as fast as he could before looking away. Yuji nodded, and they stayed quiet while peeking at each other awkwardly. Kenshin chuckled.

"Now, do you want to go for a ride again?" He offered. Kenji's face lit up.

"The car with no roof again?" asked him. Kenshin nodded, and Kenji cheered happily.

"Yuji!" Yuji's mother came in to pick him up. She stopped when she saw Kenji and Kenshin. Kenshin smiled a charming smile and nodded politely to her. She blushed and nodded back.

"Yuji's mother? I'm Himura." Kenshin greeted casually.

"Ah, yes… I'm… Uh… Ueno…" Yuji's mother replied hesitantly. Yuji pulled his mother's arm.

"Mom! I want to ride in a car without roof like Kenji as well!" He said. Yuji's mother glared at her son, and then bowed apologetically to Kenshin.

"I apologize, my son is impolite, he is not well educated…" She bowed down a few more times before dragging her son and left the classroom. Misao snorted and Kenshin looked at her, confused.

"Did I do something wrong?" He asked. Misao shrugged.

"That lady was looking for trouble with Kaoru last time."

"How so?"

"She gossiped about Kaoru being a loose woman and such. Her son heard her and told his friends about it." Misao explained. Kenshin nodded, and then took Kenji's hand and walked Misao and Kenji to his car.

*****

"So, Himura, are you trying to steal Kenji from us?" asked Misao suspiciously. Kenshin smiled casually.

"What made you think that?" he asked. Misao shrugged.

"You know, you don't have a kid with your current wife, and then you saw a kid who looks exactly like you and it gives you ideas." Misao explained her thoughts. Kenshin chuckled.

"No, I'm not kidnapping him, nor you, Misao-san." He smiled charmingly towards Misao, and she could feel the heat creeping up her cheek. No wonder Kaoru was crazy for this guy; he was too perfect for his own good.

They parked a little further away and walked to the café. In front of the café, they saw Kaoru bowing to the health inspector, who bowed back before he left. Kenshin was awed at the sight. She was not the Kaoru he knew. The Kaoru he knew back then was always wearing either an expensive kimono or a designer dress. She was more graceful, her smile was like a beautiful painting. The Kaoru who stood up in front of him tied up her hair in a messy bun, wearing a t-shirt and a dull tablier, and sweating all over the place.

Kenshin couldn't help but smile. She was different, she looked stronger and free. Still, the traits of high class education never disappeared. The way she bowed, the way she stood up, the way she lifted up her arms… She was more beautiful than ever, even compared to when she was covered with diamonds and designer clothes. He never knew this side of her, and it seemed that all these years, he had underestimated her.

"Kaoru, look who I brought." Misao called. Kaoru turned around with a smile, but then she froze. She went pale and stepped back, as if she was looking at a monster. Kenshin nodded politely, while Kenji was wrapped on his chest. Kenji grinned at Kaoru.

"Mommy! See, Daddy is here!" He said excitedly. Kaoru forced a smile and took Kenji from Kenshin's arms.

"Yes, Mommy knows. Now get in and wash up, I'll tell Okon-san to prepare tea for everyone. How does that sound?" asked Kaoru sweetly, even though Kenshin could hear the tremble in her voice. Kenji nodded and ran inside. Kaoru turned around.

"Come, Misao." She said. Misao looked at Kenshin and Kaoru with a confused face.

"Ano… What about Himura?" she asked. Kaoru smiled towards Kenshin.

"Thank you for sending Kenji home. Why don't you come in and have a cup of coffee, on the house?" asked Kaoru nicely. Kenshin nodded obediently and followed her inside.

Everyone in the store stopped moving and went quiet when Kenshin entered the café. He sat down uncomfortably, noticing that everyone in the café was staring at him. Yes, they all recognized him from the magazine and newspaper cut-outs stuck on Kaoru's office wall. Kaoru warned everyone to go back to work and stopped spacing out as she made her way to the bar and started grinding a new batch of coffee beans. Kenshin watched her making his coffee carefully. It was like a nostalgic scene for him, seeing Kaoru poured cinnamon powder and a little bit of sweet brandy. She served it to him and Kenshin smiled softly as he inhaled the aroma of the coffee.

"I miss this coffee." He said. Kaoru sat in front of him.

"You could tell the maids to make it for you." She suggested. Kenshin shrugged.

"It's different. Yours is better." He replied.

"Of course it is, Kenshin. I spent three years learning about coffee." She said. Kenshin chuckled and looked at Kenji.

"Is he mine?" He asked. Kaoru smiled.

"Of course, silly. Who else has fiery red hair like that?" She said with a small smile. Kenshin looked at Kaoru with a sad gaze.

"Why did you leave?" he asked. Kaoru smiled.

"I simply granted your wish."

"My wish?"

"Your wish to be free."

"Kaoru, you don't even tell me about Kenji."

"My bad."

"I still don't get it. One minute I had you, and the next minute you were gone. I know I was a bad person, and I apologize for that, but to just leave me and then gave birth to my child without me even knowing it…" Kenshin stopped talking. He didn't know what to say anymore. Kaoru held Kenshin's hand.

"You were not happy, Kenshin. I want you to be happy. It pained me to see that the source of your unhappiness is me." She explained with a low voice.

"But I wasn't happy for the past six years. I felt lonely, I felt guilty, I was always anxious. Kaoru, I've been desperately searching for you everywhere." He said with a flash of a pained expression in his face. Kaoru smiled bitterly.

"Yeah? Now you've found me. I'm fine, I'm happy. Your son is happy as well. You can leave in peace, Kenshin. Go back to your wife."

"Kaoru-"

"After this cup of coffee, Kenshin. I insist. Once again, thank you for giving Kenji and Misao a ride back. Sayonara." She said before she stood up. Kenshin grabbed her hand.

"You are my wife." He said, stopping Kaoru from leaving the table. Misao gasped, while Okon, Omasu, Shiro, Kuro and all the patrons in the cafe stopped moving again. They all looked at Kaoru, confused and curious about what happened. Kenshin sighed and took out a crumpled up paper from his pocket.

"You're still my wife, Kaoru. I never submitted the divorce paper. I can't even bring myself to sign it." He said while shoving the paper into Kaoru's hand. Kaoru unfolded the paper and found out that it was a six years old divorce paper. Her grip tightened when she saw that there was only her name there. He never signed the papers. Kenshin ripped one part of the paper, took out a pen, and wrote his number there.

"I'll be here for a few more days, so please call me. We have to talk about this." He said, almost sounded like he was begging. He finished his coffee, kissed Kenji goodbye, and left. Kaoru froze in shock, while Misao looked at her, worried. As soon as Kenshin closed the door, she dropped down to her knees. The tears she was holding back came pouring down as she started to sob. Kenji ran to Kaoru and patted her back.

"What's wrong Mommy? Why did Daddy leave so quickly?" He asked with a confused face. Kaoru forced a smile and rubbed his cheek.

"Daddy has a work to do, and Mommy cried because she is happy to see Daddy." She said.

For Kaoru, talking to her kid means creating a bunch of sugary lies and promises. But this time, she was only half lying.


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: standard

AN: This chapter was made as two chapters, 5 & 6, but since 6 was unfinished, I decided to combine both together. Btw, there are some people who actually bothered to send me private messages (I'm not even sure whether it's "some people" or only one person using different accounts, because they all sounded similar), saying that I'm an incompetent writer for making a story that doesn't seem to make sense at all and that they are wasting their time reading this fic. About those who feel a bit thrown off by how the facts in the story don't seem to connect with each other and something is a bit off, well, let's just say that one of the reasons why I wrote it in reverse timeline is so that the readers can feel the oddness and the mismatch in the story. I know that I'm not the best writer (especially in English… boooo!) and I'm seriously sorry if some of you don't feel too comfortable with the way I tell my story, but other than silly, sleepy mistakes and grammar and context errors, I don't intend to edit the story or the way I write it. I can't please everyone, right? After all, I'm just a human :P Still, thanks a lot for reading it carefully and giving me thoughtful reviews! Now, as usual, don't forget to read, review and enjoy the story :D

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**The Intersection**

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Misao was just arrived from her campus when she smelled a burn smell from the café. Panicked, she threw her scooter on the pavement and ran inside to check the stove. She looked at every corner of the kitchen and sighed in relief to see that nothing in the café was burned. She looked outside the backyard window and saw the source of the burning smell. Apparently, Kaoru was making a bonfire with things that looked like Himura Kenshin newspaper cut-outs she had gathered for the past six years. Misao went out to the backyard and looked at her up and down. It was one of those rare days when she was wearing her nice dress and her hair was tied up into a neat ponytail. She looked up and smiled at Misao.

"Are you going somewhere?" asked Misao. She nodded.

"Yeah, soon. Take care of the café for me?" She said happily. Misao sat down on the ground beside her.

"I know that I said that I don't care about your past, but I'd be very happy if you can share your stories with me. After all, we're friends, right?" She asked. Kaoru sighed.

"It's a really long story…" She said with a tired face.

"Yeah? Well, I have all the time in the world. You're my best friend, and no matter how lengthy the story is, I will sit down and listen to it. Please Kaoru?" Misao insisted.

"Alright, arlight…" She nodded understandingly.

*****

_**Tokyo, 7 years ago**_

She dedicated her life from year one to nineteen for Himura Kenshin. Her long, black hair she grew for years was because it was Himura Kenshin's favourite hairstyle. Her kendo training was because Himura Kenshin loved Kendo. Her visited to the cold Tibetan mountains were because it was Himura Kenshin's favourite hiking place. Her burnmarks from the cooking class was because cooking was Himura Kenshin's hobby. The oldschool rock LPs she collected was because Himura Kenshin loved them. Her years of coffee and tea studies was because Himura Kenshin's company is expanding into beverage business. She never lived for herself, just for Himura Kenshin.

She learned everything about him like a subject in school. She knew that he was born in June. She knew that his favourite colour was magenta. She knew that his dream was to be a chef, but he decided to take over his father's business instead. She knew that he won the international kendo tournament for three years in a row before graduated from secondary school. She recognized his figure, his smile, everything. She knew so much about him as if they were so close to each other, even though she never met him at all. Never once she questioned her love and devotion for this particular guy she had never meet before.

She just didn't realize that he might not be the same.

Their first meeting was in the summer when she was 18, in their omiai. Kaoru was wearing a magenta kimono with dark coloured obi, purposely worn to suit Kenshin's taste. She was expecting a sweet love at first sight, and it was natural for them to feel the same way at each other. They were going to be wed, after all. But Himura Kenshin was different from her expectation. He was formal and polite, and always smiling, but he never looked at her in the eyes. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't hide the tired and bored expression he had when he was not smiling.

After the family meeting, their parents forced them to take a walk around the big Japanese garden so that they could talk and get to know each other better. Kenshin offered his hand, but as soon as they were free from the parents sight, he politely put down Kaoru's hands. Kaoru sighed as they walked slowly on the footpath.

"So, Himura-san, what kind of music do you listen to?" She asked, starting a conversation. Of course she knew the answer, but she needed something to talk about. Kenshin looked at her.

"I don't really listen to anything… A little bit of rock, maybe?" He answered, a little uncertain. Kaoru grinned.

"Rock? I like rock too!" She said excitedly. Kenshin nodded.

"Yeah? Good." He said, trying hard to sound interested. They stopped talking, and the awkward silence came in. Kaoru coughed softly and smiled.

"Do you like what I'm wearing?" She asked innocently. Kenshin frowned a little with the weird question, but then quickly put up a smile and nodded slightly.

"Yes. You look good."

"Thank you. You look good yourself, Himura-san."

"Oh, thanks."

Another silence. Kaoru sighed and looked away. It seemed that Himura Kenshin was not interested in knowing her better. In the middle of the red bridge over a big koi pond, however, he stopped and looked at Kaoru intently. He suddenly grabbed her hands.

"Listen, Kamiya-san… We don't have to do this, you know. I bet you have someone you like or love outside this marriage business. I think they might listen to us if we refused this marriage together!" Kenshin proposed the idea. Kaoru looked down, trying to shove away the disappointment.

"So, Himura-san… Do you have someone you love?" Kaoru asked, trying to sound casual. Kenshin blushed and grinned.

"Well, She lives abroad now. But she's coming back soon and I feel that we have a future together." He said with an embarrassed tone. Kaoru forced a smile, and nodded.

"Alright. Let's try and talk to our parents." She tugged his hand and dragged him back to the building.

The naïve couple went into the room where their parents were drinking tea and chatting. They sat, did a _dogeza_, and apologized that they couldn't marry each other, and they hoped that their parents would bless their decision.

Like hell they would.

"I'm sorry, Kamiya-san, I think my kid is having a bad fever or something. Please excuse us, we have to take our leave now." Said Kenshin's father while dragging his son out of the room. Kaoru's father waited until Kenshin and his father gone before turning around and looking at his daughter, confused.

"I thought you're head to hells with that guy?" he asked. Kaoru nodded.

"But, father, he doesn't love me like I do." She said softly. Her father looked at her and burst into a laugh.

"Of course he doesn't! It's your duty as a fiancé to make him love you!" He said, as if it was something obvious but Kaoru was too naïve to even realize it.

"He has a girlfriend, too." Kaoru added.

"Really? Well, be glad, because you'll be the first wife. Mistresses don't get anywhere, Kaoru. Now be happy, okay? Me and his father were have such pleasant conversation, and the wedding is on no matter what happen." Her father assured her.

"I can't marry him this way." She insisted. Her father sighed and looked at her intently.

"Listen, Kaoru. Your marriage with him is a promise from a long time ago. And Like mother said, promises are meant to be kept."

"But…"

"We need this, Kaoru. They need our assets, while we need their influence and managerial power. This is the only way your old man's business can survive, Kaoru. You'll help me, right?" He asked. Kaoru nodded.

"Yes. Okay. I will marry him. Don't worry, father."

*****

_**Okinawa, Present time**_

Kaoru and Misao turned around as they heard the clicking of the door being opened. Kenshin came in with Kenji, who just came home from school. Kaoru blushed and coughed, while Misao pouted with an annoyed face. Her story session was cut short because of the arrival of the two auburn haired males.

"I… Uh… I'm gonna take my bag and wash my face, alright?" She said to Kenshin. Kenshin smiled and sat in front of Misao, while Kenji settled himself on his lap.

"Sorry to make you watch the café alone." Kenshin said. Misao smiled and waved her hands.

"No, no, don't worry. So Himura, where are you taking her?" She asked. Kenshin shrugged.

"No idea. She's going to drive, she said. Can she even drive?" he asked her with a little hesitation in his eyes. Misao snorted.

"How would I know. You're the husband." She said, trying to act nonchalant, even though Kenshin could feel a little sharpness in her tone. He chuckled and nodded.

"I see, she's telling you the story, isn't she?" Kenshin guessed. Misao looked at him in awe.

"How do you know?" She asked. Kenshin shrugged.

"Well, which part?" He asked back.

"The omiai." Said Misao. Kenshin sighed.

"Oh, right. That's a good one." He said. Misao looked at him.

"What about you? What did your dad say when you said you don't want to marry her?" Misao asked curiously.

Kenshin looked down. "Well…"

*****

_**Tokyo, 7 years ago**_

"I'M NOT MARRYING THAT GIRL!" Kenshin screamed. The father looked at him coldly.

"You can scream all you want, but you're still marrying that girl."

"No. I have Tomoe and I will marry Tomoe." He said stubbornly. His father looked at him and threw a cold smile.

"I didn't say that you have to let her go. I say, you can still keep her, as long as you can maintain your good image to the media." He said.

"I'm not like you, Dad. I will only be with the girl I love. I don't know why did you change your mind. You liked Tomoe and you even gave Mom's necklace to her. But then, the next thing I know you sent her away in the name of 'scholarship' and forced me to go to this omiai. Why are you against me marrying her?" Kenshin replied. His father chuckled.

"I didn't say that you can't marry her at all. If her family owns a big piece of land and the latest technology to make the best cell phone in Japan, you can marry her. But now, she only owns stuff which we don't need, like agriculture and poultry. Kamiya family, on the other hand, is famous for bringing new technology to Japan. I'm planning to sell the newest cell phone product abroad, therefore we need Kamiya's help to do it. This is a long term investment, Kenshin."

"I can't believe you just compare my entire life with cell phone sales." Said Kenshin.

"Well, Son, the money that you're going to use to build your own beverage company is there, in our cell phone sales. Now choose, your entire life being a mere puppet to me, or taking this marriage as an investment to your freedom?" His father asked. Kenshin gritted his teeth.

"You can't treat people like this, Dad…" He said.

"Son. Trust me, this is just for a little while. If we have everything, you are free to marry or divorce anyone. You are free to take as many girls as you want. You are free to do anything! Don't you want that? And if Tomoe really loves you, wouldn't she wait until you get your freedom?"

Kenshin couldn't say anything anymore. They both were silent for the rest of the journey, and his father dropped him back home before heading to his own office. Kenshin sighed, at least with the omiai, he could get a break from work. Suddenly, he felt his phone vibrating in his pocket. He looked at the caller ID and picked up.

"Yes, uncle."

A grunt.

"Who did you call 'uncle'? CALL ME SHISHOU!"

"Eh…" Kenshin was caught off guard. The coarse voice from the other side of the phone chuckled.

"Come on, kiddo. Try it." He ordered.

"Uh… Shi…shou…?" Kenshin said, a little hesitant.

"Again."

"Shishou…"

"Again, again, again!"

"Shishou, shishou, shi-"

"Okay, kid, now you're wearing it out." He said with an amused voice. Kenshin grunted. Wasn't he the one who told him to call him that in the first place?

"So, why are you calling me, unc- I mean… Shishou?"

"Asking about when are you going to inherit my business." He said. Kenshin sighed.

"I gave you an answer, Shishou…" he said.

"I thought you're going to change your mind after the omiai…"

"No. I don't like the idea of being married to someone I don't know, but I hate manufacturing weapon and endangering people's life more." Kenshin explained.

"Fine. Suit yourself." And his Shishou hung up. Kenshin frowned. He was so in demand that day.

*****

The family dinner was the second attempt to recreate the good relationship between the Kamiya and the Himura family. It was held in Himura mansion, with excessive food and drinks, made only for four people. Kenshin sighed silently as he stared at the French food in front of him. He never really liked western food, nor could he enjoy eating in a pretentious, formal atmosphere. The fact that he didn't like being judged for the way he ate and the fact that he knew another slip of tongue could cause him his head tonight made it harder for him to swallow the food. He was sure that even French people don't always eat in hostile surroundings like this.

"So, Kenshin! Why don't you bring Kaoru-san to your Kendo practice next week?" said his father. Kenshin forced a smile and nodded.

"Sure, but Kaoru-san might get bored… And there are a lot of sweaty guys there as well…" He answered. Kaoru giggled, and Kenshin looked at her, a little surprised. He never saw her laughed before.

"Well, Kenshin-san, I practice kendo as well. So if you don't mind…" She offered. Kenshin looked at her, intrigued.

"You? Kendo?" He asked impolitely, and received a kick under the table from his father. Kaoru smiled.

"Yes, I used to teach little kids in a small doujo near my house." She said excitedly, and now she was the one who received a kick from her father. She looked at her father and frowned.

"That hurts! What did you kick me from?" She asked, being so oblivious. Kenshin and his father chuckled while Kaoru and her father blushed.

"Ah, this daughter of mine, sometimes she showed her unrefined self. She's mixing with weird people too much," said her father apologetically. Kenshin smiled.

"No, no. It's good for a young lady to be very spontaneous." He said with a smile. Kaoru's father looked relieved for a second, and Kaoru's face glowed with happiness. That night, it seemed that she found a small hole to make Kenshin fall for her.

After the dinner, Kenshin's father invited Kaoru's father into his study, leaving Kenshin and Kaoru in the living room. Kenshin looked at Kaoru, who was wearing a pale purple furisode with subtle flower patterns, accompanied by black obi with red, black and silver pattern on it.

"You're wearing a kimono to a western dinner." Kenshin said. Kaoru smiled.

"I like wearing a kimono more than western dresses. Is that weird for a girl my age?"

"No, no… It's not weird. It's… Uh… Interesting?" said Kenshin, a little uncertain. Kaoru laughed.

"Thank you." She nodded gratefully. Kenshin smiled and then looked away.

"Ano, Kaoru-san, about the other day… Can we try it again?" Kenshin asked. Kaoru sighed.

"I'm sorry, Kenshin-san. I have decided, I'm not going to help you break this engagement up." Kaoru answered. Kenshin looked at her, a little surprised.

"But… Why? What about the guy you like?" He asked. Kaoru smiled, and took out a small book from her bag. She gave it to Kenshin, and Kenshin flipped through the page.

"What… What is this?" Kenshin asked, a little choked. In every page of that small book, there were his pictures. From three, four, five years old, until the most recent one, his picture taken at the kendo tournament. Kenshin looked at her in disbelief.

"Are you… stalking me?" He asked. Kaoru giggled.

"Oh course not! I got each picture every year, and my parents promised me that the last picture I get will be the wedding picture of you and me. That's why I can't give up, Kenshin-san. I was born to be with you. I dedicate my life to be the perfect woman for you."

"What…?"

"Everyone needs this wedding, Kenshin-san. My family needs it, I need it, your family needs it too. And that is why I can't help you sabotage it. When we're married, everybody is happy." Kaoru said confidently.

*****

_**Okinawa, present time**_

"Wow. So she has this obsessive behaviour from a long time ago." Misao said. Kenshin chuckled.

"Well, yeah, I feel-"

"He feels so creeped out by a girl who likes to collect his pictures." Said Kaoru all of the sudden from behind. Misao and Kenshin turned around, and Kenshin sighed.

"No… I was flattered, but scared at the same time, because I didn't realize that someone was thinking of me and devoting herself to me, and I might not know how to reciprocate those feelings to her." Kenshin corrected her. Kaoru smiled slightly.

"Shall we?" She asked while offering her hands. Kenshin took her hands and slipped it comfortable on his arms.

"Bye, Misao-san." Kenshin waved as he was pulled away by Kaoru.

Outside, they walked to the car which, as usual, was parked a little further away from the café. Kenshin gave Kaoru his car key.

"Thanks." Kaoru said while opening the car door. Kenshin climbed into the passenger's seat with a worried face.

"Are you sure you're driving?" He asked hesitantly. Kaoru grinned and nodded.

"You said you wanted to see some places right? I'll take you there, But first…" She started the car. Kenshin looked at her.

"First?"

"I'll take you to a friend's place." She said while turning right on the corner of the street.

Kenshin couldn't be more surprised at what he saw when they finally arrived. Kaoru patted his hand with a sweet smile.

"Come." She said. Kenshin stared at the small plate with names and address attached at the wall of the small building in front of him, and chuckled bitterly.

"Shinomori Aoshi, Attorney at Law?" He asked her in disbelief. Kaoru nodded.

"Yes, Aoshi-san is one of my good friends here." Kaoru said. Kenshin got off the car with a disappointed face.

"Is this how you wanted to talk things through?" He asked again. Kaoru nodded.

"Now that I have a kid, I want to make sure that our divorce wouldn't affect my sole custody on Kenji." She said briefly. Kenshin frowned.

"So, what, I won't be allowed to see Kenji anymore?"

"Something like that." Kaoru answered. Kenshin shook his head, still in disbelief.

"I thought… I thought we can fix this together…"

"Aren't we fixing this now? We're staying as acquaintances, I'll be here in Okinawa, raising Kenji, and you'll live happily in Tokyo with Tomoe, your soulmate and your wife, who you'll legally marry when we have finalized our divorce. Once in awhile, when you both are in Okinawa, the four of us will meet for a brief dinner, and that's it. Everyone's happy."

"I can't believe you're still in your 'everyone is happy' concept. Do you even realize that your little concept is the one that caused my unhappiness?" Kenshin said, half screaming. Kaoru looked at him.

"Are you blaming me for everything? As if you never wronged me at all!" She said with a sharp tone. Kenshin shook his head.

"WHEN DID I EVER DO YOU WRONG YOU? WHEN?" He hissed while grabbing Kaoru's arms violently.

"YOU SLEPT WITH HER WHEN WE WERE STILL MARRIED!!!! YOU INTENDED TO LEAVE ME FROM THE BEGINNING!!!" Kaoru screamed. Kenshin looked at her with his gleaming amber eyes. He took out a small, light blue coloured box with 'Tiffany's' written on it, and threw it on the ground, right in front of Kaoru's feet.

"Just so you know, Kaoru. Tomoe is a woman of dignity, she would never, ever done anything to jeopardize someone else's marriage. And me, I LOVE YOU so goddamn much that I wouldn't even look at any woman but you. How does it feel to be like me, looking for a person, and after six years of looking you found out that she left you because of some emotional assumption she made over a bottle of vodka… Yes, I know you drank a lot. I know that you were hiding big bottles of liquor in your shoe room. And you know what, just wait for my lawyer to contact yours. We don't need to meet anymore. Just take that stupid gift I bought for our one year wedding anniversary, and that car your son likes so much. I don't care anymore. I'm leaving." Kenshin said with his anger building up, before finally walked away.


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: Standard

AN: TOOK ME LONG ENOUGH!!! Hee hee… I finally have reached the point where I have to think and write. I've been away for a trip, and I broke my laptop. I was too scared to fix it, but then I did it anyway, and I'm glad my previous writings didn't disappear!! Now I can update again!! :D

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**The Intersection**

-

-

"Kamiya Kaoru?" Aoshi turned his head from his newspaper and looked at Kaoru, who were sobbing and shaking. He stood up and guided her to his sofa.

"Your husband left?" He asked again. Kaoru nodded and sobbed harder. Aoshi turned around and made a pot of tea. He served a cup for her and sat down.

"So, Kamiya, you were talking to me about divorcing your husband on the phone, and the possibilities of a custody battle. If you happen to know any of his flaws, we can use it to help keep your sole custody. Usually, the custody will automatically be given to the mother, but the fact that you were an alcoholic before and the fact that everyone knows that you ran away while being pregnant with his baby will jeopardize your position. Everything you did make you seem mentally unstable to raise a child." He said to Kaoru. Kaoru stopped crying, and then leaned back, frustrated.

"You heard me and Kenshin fighting, did you?" She said. Aoshi coughed.

"Yes. So, anything?" He asked nonchalantly.

"I do have some pictures that shows his infidelity." Kaoru said. She was a little calmer, even though her voice was still very shaky. Weird, he didn't even comfort her, but his formal and businesslike attitude diverted her from her miserable thoughts. Aoshi leaned forward.

"Oh? Do you have them here?" He asked.

"No… I'll bring it next time…" She said. Aoshi looked at her.

"How was your marriage life, Kamiya?" He asked. Kaoru smiled.

"It was the best time I've ever had."

"It was?"

"It was."

"Then why did you drink?" He asked. Kaoru looked away.

"I liked drinking." She muttered carelessly. Aoshi sighed at the sight of the lying woman in front of him.

"Okay. Why did you run away?"

"Because it was the worst time he has ever had. And it's killing me inside to know that he's been dying inside because of me."

"Why did he refuse to divorce you then?" asked Aoshi. Kaoru looked at him, hesitated.

"I don't know… Because he found out that I gave birth to his heir?"

"So… you're saying that he wants your kid? He should have divorced you, then. Since there is only a little chance that you would gain the sole custody. I'm sure he knows that."

"Aoshi-san…"

"Let's just say that he wants your kid, then."

"Of course he does. Kenji is the most valuable asset they have now, since Tomoe and him don't have any children… yet…" Kaoru explained. Aoshi sighed.

"Do you love him?" He asked.

"Yes, I do. A lot." She answered without any hesitation.

"Then why don't you trust him?" asked Aoshi casually. Kaoru went quiet.

Why didn't she trust him?

Exactly. She never once trusted him. She was always paranoid about him coming home late at night, and she was scared every second that he was going to leave her and never came back.

Why?

"I… Don't want his money, I just don't want him to bug me and Kenji anymore for the rest of my life." Said Kaoru, changing the topic. Aoshi sighed.

"Actually, if you refuse the alimony and he is still insisting to take your child away, you'll be in a fragile position, given your income instability that might lead your inability to take a good care of your kid." He explained.

"Fine! Take money from him! Whatever! I just want Kenji!"

"Alright. You bring me the leverage we were talking about earlier, and we'll wait for his lawyer to contact us. You have to calm down a little, too. He might not want to create another hassle with you and just be done with it, so there is a possibility that he will let you get the sole custody. We can still hope for that." Aoshi comforted her, even though it sounded less comfortable and more like a talking machine. Kaoru nodded.

"Alright. Thanks a lot, Aoshi-san." Kaoru said while standing up. She took the car key and put it on his table. Aoshi looked at her.

"Your payment, I guess." She added. Aoshi flashed a smile and took the key, and put it in his pocket.

"Fair enough." He said while watching Kaoru leave.

*****

Everyone was relaxing for the week their boss was gone, and that was why everyone was still in a shock when Kenshin suddenly barged into the office, still with his t-shirt and jeans, and looked at the bunch who were playing poker at that time coldly. Sano jumped and hid the money they used for gambling, Megumi smiled with a guilty face for skipping work to be with her boyfriend, and everyone else ran to their seat. The merry and noisy office was suddenly quiet, like the sea before the storm. Kenshin smiled, even though his smile didn't reach his eyes.

"Sano, I need you to call my soon-to-be-ex wife's lawyer and tell him that I'm going to fight for the kid's sole custody. All finance and accounting people, gather the data about Kamiya corporation, Uncle Hiko's company and my dad's company, Mrs. Masuda, call the hotel I've been staying at in Okinawa and tell them to send my luggage to my house and bring me the data about all the private shares I own from Kamiya's and my father's company. Oh, don't forget to change the ownership of the car I used in Okinawa into Himura Kaoru. Or Kamiya Kaoru, whatever name she uses now. And call my wife… not the one I'm divorcing, the one who stays with me."

"Yes sir!" everyone said in unison, even though their faces were a little reluctant. Megumi grabbed Sano's hand as they walked into his office.

"What the hell, Sano. I told you letting him go is a bad idea." Megumi hissed in his ears. Sano snorted.

"As if there was anything I could do to make him stay that night." He whispered back with an annoyed tone.

In a flash, everyone was busy running around. Kenshin went into his office and locked his door. He needed a little bit of rest, but he couldn't calm his heart. In 15 minutes, he heard a knock on his door. He dragged his feet and opened the door to find Tomoe, looking all concerned, standing in front of his office. Unlike the usual, Kenshin realized that she hadn't even have a chance to go to the salon and do her hair like how she would spent her all of her morning before leaving home to have a lunch and take care of her business at the office. She went into the room and hugged him.

"Kenshin…"

Kenshin crushed her into his hug.

"I found her, Tomoe… We found her…" He said while burying his head into her long hair. Tomoe closed the door behind her and sat on the sofa. Kenshin sat beside her and closed his eyes.

"I was so stupid, I screamed at her and ran away." He said. Tomoe looked at him.

"Why?" She asked.

"Why what? Screamed at her? I don't know, maybe somehow I suddenly felt the anger again, just like when I found out that she abandoned me. I said some bad stuff to her, and now I don't have the face to meet her."

"Did you ask her about her departure six years ago?"

"She said the same thing over and over. She said she left to make me happy. But then when she got mad, she mentioned something about my infidelity and I said something about her being delusional while intoxicated." He mumbled. For once, Tomoe's expressionless face changed into a shock. She gasped loudly and looked at him judgingly. Kenshin looked away and she sighed.

"What does she mean by infidelity? What did you do, Kenshin? You're not that kind of guy…" She asked carefully, this time in a longer sentence. Kenshin looked at her.

"I'm not that kind of guy, Tomoe. I don't understand either. She said she had the proof. Even now, I still think that it might be some delusion she believed while she was… Uh…" Kenshin's voice faded away. Tomoe nodded.

"Then?" She questioned him. Kenshin sighed as Tomoe got up and went to the small counter and boiled some water with the electric kettle Kenshin had in his office. She made a pot of tea and offered a cup to him. He sniffed it and sighed again.

"She made the brandy tea for me. It was amazing." He mumbled.

"Alright."

"I'm sorry, Tomoe. I know she's your last resort, but at this point, I think it will be best if I divorce her."

"But, I heard from Sano that you're fighting for the child's custody? You know that if you're asking for that you're going to see her again, sooner or later, right?" Tomoe asked.

"Kenji is my heir." Kenshin said.

"You sound like your father." Tomoe pointed out. Kenshin nodded.

"Yes, Tomoe. Like father like son. Petty and disgusting." He answered stoically.

"You are trying to find a way to see her again, aren't you?" asked Tomoe. Kenshin sighed.

"I don't know. I'm confused. I don't even know what I want." He muttered.

"Kenshin… Let's just stop… I don't mind spending the rest of my life with you." She said softly. Kenshin shook his head.

"Just trust me, Tomoe. I'll figure it out. This is for you. You deserve your freedom." Kenshin insisted.

"Don't make all these about me. You're saying that you don't want to meet her, but you're looking for a trouble by starting all these custody battle. And you know by doing this, you will have to meet her again soon. I am free, Kenshin. I can leave with Akira anytime I want, and just disappear without any news. You'll be the husband who lost his wife for the second time... again… But you know what, I'm staying, because we have to do this the right way. We are not like our fathers who would do anything to get what they desire. Now please, please sort out your mind so that you can save us both… I'll be by your side, supporting you. Just be honest with her. These dramas and tricks are not working well anymore." Tomoe said. Kenshin looked at her, a little surprised that she actually said long sentences. Tomoe flashed a small smile, took her bag and kissed him in the forehead before leaving the office. Kenshin sinked into the sofa and closed his eyes.

"What have I done?" He muttered to himself.

*****

Misao climbed the stairs at Kaoru's apartment building. It was already late in the afternoon, and everyone became so worried about their boss. It was the first time their boss missed work without telling anyone beforehand. In front of Kaoru's door, she knocked. She heard music from behind the door. Me and Mrs. Jones, as usual. Misao moved the door handle, taking a chance, and successfully opened the door. She looked at the door, a little worried. It was not like Kaoru, leaving the door unlocked.

Misao shook her head as the smell of liquor entered her nose. She came into the house and frowned, looking at some newly cut newspapers and magazines. Apparently Kaoru fell asleep while drinking and making a new Himura Kenshin collage. Misao sighed. The other day, Kaoru was crying and telling her how much she hated him. And now, there she was again, searching and cutting every news and pictures of him she could find in the magazine.

"Kaoru?" She shook her gently. Kaoru opened her eyes, and looked a little disoriented for awhile.

"Misao-chan?"

"I thought you're done with this stuff?" asked Misao while looking at Himura Kenshin's pictures on the table. Kaoru inhaled and looked at Misao.

"It's not time to pick Kenji up yet, is it?" She slurred. Misao sat beside her.

"Not yet, but soon." She said, checking her watch. Kaoru sighed. She got up and limped to the bathroom, and then Misao heard a loud vomit voice. She sighed and took Kaoru's teapot and started making some tea. Kaoru went out from the bathroom with a grin.

"A trick I learned by living with Kenshin for a year. Puke 'em all out, and feel refreshed." She said lightly with her sore voice while stretching her joints. Misao served her a cup of hot tea with a thin slice of lemon in it.

"I heard everything from Aoshi. Even though he's all stiff and business-like, he actually cares about you. He told me to take care of you." Misao said. Kaoru smiled.

"Thank you." She said sweetly. Misao looked at the half empty bottle of liquor.

"No drinking anymore, Kaoru. And you know what, why don't you just go to sleep? I'll take care of Kenji today." Misao offered. Kaoru smiled.

"That's very nice of you, but it's okay. You can come with me if you want to, though." She said. Misao pressed her lips while gazing at the Himura Kenshin cut-outs.

"Hey, Kaoru? Why don't I tell Okon or Omasu to pick Kenji up, and we stay in, order some food, and tell stories about the past?" She asked carefully. Kaoru looked at her suspiciously, but then leered.

"You wanted to do those psychoanalysis crap on me!" She said suspiciously.

"No I don't." Misao answered quickly with an innocent smile.

"Why now, though, Misao-chan?" she asked weakly.

"Aoshi told me about how you answered your questions in his office, contradicting everything, suspecting stuff that might not happen… You should stop living in your own little twisted world with all those contradictions and mysteries, and tell me what happened." Misao said.

"Do you think I'm crazy?" Kaoru asked, a little offended.

"No, I think you're running away." Misao answered briefly. Kaoru shrugged.

"Fine." She said with a sigh.

*****

_**Tokyo, 7 years ago**_

Kenshin was being very nice to her ever since she moved in to Himura mansion to get used to the surroundings. The first month she moved in, he was still polite and a little distant, but for the next two months, he warmed up and they gradually became quite close. Kenshin invited her into a few dates, ranged from a sparring date, where he lost intentionally and pissed her off, to the classy, Frech resto date, where she got to dress up and received a "wow, you're beautiful" look from him. There were also nights when they rented out some DVDs and just watched them with a big bowl of pop corn. She fell in love deeper than she thought. She was sure that he felt the same way too, until two days before their wedding.

She was just walking around and saw Kenshin and his father in the study. Kenshin was playing with a small pen nonchalantly, while his father were looking as grim as ever. He threw a newspaper in front of Kenshin's face. Kenshin frowned and took the newspaper.

"Oh, our rival company announced that they are going to bring in the same technology that Kamiya company is trying to get into Japan. They're going to hold the sole right of this technology usage… That's ambitious…" Kenshin commented lightly. His father slammed his hand on the table.

"If they are going to bring it into Japan in six months, we have to be able to do it in five. That way, no one can use the technology other than us. I doubt that Kamiya Koshijirou can do that. He's too kind and too meek for his own good." He said with an annoyed voice. Kenshin shrugged.

"Dad, it's just a cellphone. They will have newer and newer technology created rapidly."

"You don't understand, Kenshin. We have to have this one because it's the root of every developing technology that will come in the future. If Kamiya can't act fast enough, I don't see the point of you marrying his daughter. I mean, she doesn't work, she can't do anything, her only degree is a degree is in those tea and coffee stuff and what not…"

"It's called Beverage Management, Dad." Kenshin cut him.

His dad snorted and continued. "She is not like your ex girlfriend Yukishirou. If the Kamiya company collapses, then she would become nothing but a trophy wife. We don't need trophies, Kenshin. We need profit and sales."

"You were the one who separated me from Tomoe. Now you want me to marry her as well?" asked Kenshin, displeased.

"Of course not. We'll see how this plan is going first. Besides, I heard the Kamiya girl is a virgin. Lucky for you, eh, son?" His father snickered and Kenshin looked away.

"Dad…"

"Listen, Kenshin. Do as I say, and I give you your freedom. You're free to create and expand any business you like, you're free to live wherever you want, and get this, you can even marry your old girlfriend Yukishirou. Only if everything goes well." His father said. Kenshin sighed.

"Fine. I'll do as you say, but you owe me my freedom." He said.

Behind the door, Kaoru's ears burned up. She gulped her tears as she walked shakily to her bedroom, wondering what this marriage would lead her to.


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: RK is not mine

AN: So many questions have yet to be answered… Right, guys? Hohoho… We have entered the flashback area now. Btw for some reason the end of the story reminds me of how Misao and the kid whose brother got killed followed Kenshin and Saitou to Shingetsu village. Thanks for the reviews, and enjoy this chapter!! :D

Btw, I'm a little upset now. I had a fight with one of my housemate, and when I was out she went into my room, messing around with my computer and deleted a few of my fanfics (not all, she got caught in the act by my roomie… thanks a lot, roomie :D), and I don't have any back up for those stories, since most of my data disappeared when I reformatted my computer. As stupid as her pranks may sound, it actually got me a little. I mean, more than 10 stories just disappeared into thin air, and would never come back. Well, it's my fault to begin with, since I was in a rush and I didn't turn off my computer with all the windows opened. Now, my facebook account has been deleted, my MSN, YM and sykpe accounts are empty, and apparently I tweeted more than 30 tweets about how I love to fondle, lick and play with a certain male body part, and my fanfiction profile said that I'm a self centered bitch who likes to sleep around with male prostitutes. How fun. Oh well, give it a few days, I might be able to laugh about it, since this incident is pretty funny anyway. For those who also followed my other stories, I'm so sorry. Again, enjoy the story!! :)

-

**The Intersection**

-

-

Sano sighed as he looked at the divorce form, already signed and stamped with Kenshin's name. He was supposed to be a legal consultant; his days in court dealing with freaked out divorcee or victims were supposed to be over. He felt worse when he realized he would be facing one of his best friends. He was very fond of Kaoru. She was funny and she was a great friend. Now, he had no choice but to fight against her. Their reunion wouldn't be as warm as he had expected.

He dialed Kaoru's lawyer's phone number and waited. Soon, someone answered the phone.

"Hello, Shinomori's office."

"Hi, yes, this is Sagara Sanosuke, calling about your client Kamiya Kaoru. I'm her husband's lawyer." Sano said formally. The girl from the other side of the phone snorted.

"SO, you're the jerk's lawyer, huh? Listen, my Aoshi-sama will crush you until you have nothing left but your stupid lawyer-ish briefcase and guess what, Mr. I-am-working-for-a-rich-guy, you will have nothing inside that briefcase because my Aoshi-sama will drain you empty and because YOU SMELL!!!" she screamed. Sano turned red and grunted.

"Oh yeah? Tell your little boyfriend that I am going to flatten him bad because you and him are smellier than me!!" He screamed back.

"Smelly lawyer!!"

"Stupid woman!!"

"FINE!! SEE YOU IN COURT!!"

"FINE!!"

BAM! Sano slammed the phone, and saw Megumi, standing beside the table with a judging look. She then looked at the post-it with Sinomori's law firm phone number written on it.

"Did you just talk to Kaoru's lawyer like that?" She asked in disbelief. Sano blushed and pouted.

"She started first!!" He said defensively while pointing at the phone. Megumi shook her head.

"Are you crazy? Call her back and apologize!!" she asked with an alarming voice.

"Why me? She started it!! She called me smelly!!" Sano whined.

"You are smelly!! GO CALL HER AND TALK LIKE A PROFESSIONAL!!!" She screamed. Sano gulped and just when he was about to grab the phone, it rang.

"Sir, Shinomori Aoshi is calling regarding Himura-san's problem." Her secretary said. Soon, the line was connected to the lawyer.

"Hello, Sagara-san? I apologize for the rude and unwelcoming behavior my secretary displayed earlier." Said an icy voice. Sano frowned. This guy didn't sound sincere.

"Whatever. I'm a professional as well, you know." Sano said, and Megumi kicked his feet. From the other side of the line, Aoshi cleared his throat.

"Very well," he said, "I would like to arrange our meeting. Kamiya-san is planning to go to Tokyo in two weeks to settle this matter, you can arrange the date and the place."

"Alright. I'll get you back on that."

"Thank you."

"Hey, Shinomori? How's she?" asked Sano slowly.

"She is fine. Don't worry about her, we're taking care of her." Said Aoshi, still in that icy voice. Sano sighed before hanging up. Megumi, who were busy doing something on her phone, smiled faintly.

"See? Not that hard."

"Thank god that the lawyer is actually a guy. I hate whiny, jumpy girls. His name is Shinomori Aoshi. I think I've heard the name before." He said. Megumi typed something in her phone again.

"Oh, look. He's some kind of lawyer prodigy, eccentric, but very competent. He's cute too… I'm coming to your meeting with him!!" Megumi said while licking her bottom lips. Sano lifted up his left eyebrow, but then sighed.

"I wonder how Jou-chan's feeling now…"

"Who knows? But I'm sure she'll be fine. We're going to meet her soon." Megumi said.

"Yeah, as her enemy." Sano added sourly. Megumi chuckled.

"Do you really think that representing Kenshin would affect Kaoru's feelings for you? She would still be happy to see us, Sano. She is that kind of person." She assured him. Sano shrugged. People changed, and six years was a long time.

*****

Kenshin sat on his desk, trying to get some work done. He couldn't concentrate anymore, thinking about Kaoru and Kenji. No matter how hard he tried to avoid it, his mind always drifted to the past. He didn't know what he had done wrong. Sure, he was too busy almost all the time, but Kaoru, as a daughter of a successful businessman herself, should understand how everything worked in that world. She was not the type to just drown in sorrow and alcohol without any reason.

When did it start to go wrong?

He stood up, stretched and poured the canned coffee he manufactured into a cup. He smiled as he tasted the coffee. It reminded him of that day, the wedding day.

…

_**Tokyo, 7 years ago**_

Everyone was nervous before a wedding, be it a real wedding or just something political. Kenshin walked around in his room, trying to get everything together. Sano was supposed to pick him up earlier so that they could avoid the sniffing press who wanted a juicy scoop of the wedding. After all, his father had decided that this wedding is supposed to be a secret, in case the Kamiya Company failed to bring profit to the Himura Company. He looked at the big clock in his room and dropped himself on the couch. Sano was late and he was getting more and more restless. Suddenly he heard a knock, and before he could answer it, the door was opened. Kaoru entered, full with make up and a big traditional bun, but she was still wearing her skirt and a shirt. She pushed a tray inside the room.

"Hello, I'm the coffee lady." She said jokingly. Kenshin frowned but then smiled.

"Do you know that caffeine make people even more fidgety?" He said. Kaoru smiled back and pured a transparent liquid into the cup before pouring the black coffee, a little bit of milk and added a mint leaf into it. She shoved the cup to Kenshin.

"My coffee is always calming." Kaoru said. Kenshin shrugged and drank it. He stopped a little and frowned.

"It's sweet but it's different."

"I modified the sugar myself. It's a fruit sugar, but I adjusted it so that it doesn't taste strange on coffee." Kaoru explained. Kenshin looked at the cup in awe.

"You're good, you know that."

"Really? Thanks. I can give you the recipe, if you want to."

"It will be great if we can mass produce something like this." Kenshin muttered.

"Of course you can. It's very simple. You have to use a specific kind of coffee, but they're not expensive or rare or anything." Kaoru added happily. Kenshin smiled.

"Aren't you supposed to get dressed now?" He asked.

"Yeah, soon. Ne, Kenshin? You're going to take care of me, right? Protect me from the bad guys?" She asked with a smile. Kenshin frowned at the weird question.

"Yeah, sure. Why ask?" He asked with a reluctant smile. Kaoru shook her head.

"I love you, Kenshin." She said. Kenshin pressed his lips together.

"Thank you." He muttered. Kaoru grinned and patted his hair.

"You'll get there. Don't worry." She whispered. Kenshin smiled gently at Kaoru and cupped her face.

"Of course I will. I promise you, we'll be happy together." He said before stealing a light kiss on his bride's painted lips.

*****

_**Tokyo, present time**_

"Yo, Kenshin?" Sano's head popped in from the door opening. Kenshin looked up and smiled.

"Hi Sano. What can I do for you?" He asked. Sano entered the room.

"Jou-chan and her lawyer are coming in two weeks. She asked to arrange a meeting. When will you be free?" He asked.

"Just arrange it as you like, Sano. I'm not busy at all. In fact, I have nothing to do these days." Kenshin said. Sano sat on the chair in front of Kenshin.

"So, you've met her right?" asked Sano. Kenshin nodded.

"Yeah. Why?" he asked back.

"How is she? Is she okay?"

"She's fine. She owns a nice, little café, and she's famous as the Crazy Woman of the town. Our son looks a lot like me, but he has a pair of blue eyes, like her. I should've taken his picture. He's very cute and smart." Kenshin said with a small smile. Sano snorted and smirked.

"I can't believe you're actually telling me a story about the woman you're divorcing like you're in love with her." He commented. Kenshin sighed.

"What am I doing, Sano? Why am I doing this whole divorce dance so easily, while for six years, when she wasn't even around, I would rather kill myself than divorce her? And all this custody battle we're going to start… All the hassle…" his voice trailed off.

"I don't know," said Sano with a small shrug. "Maybe you realize that she's an obnoxious, annoying person? Or maybe you want to grant her wish by divorcing her? Or maybe you want to live happily ever after with Tomoe?" He bombarded Kenshin with questions.

"I don't know." Kenshin shook his head.

"Or maybe you just want to meet her again, and you're using any means possible to see her?" asked Sano slowly. Kenshin shrugged.

"You know what, even Tomoe implied the same thing." He said with a small smile. Sano smiled and tapped Kenshin shoulder.

"Think about it, Kenshin." He said as he stood up. He left the room while muttering something like 'yeah, I'm so deep'. Kenshin chuckled.

*****

Kaoru entered the restaurant and saw Misao and Aoshi sitting side by side. Aoshi was looking nonchalantly out the window, while Misao was looking at him admiringly. Kaoru held back her laughter as she sat on the chair in front of them.

"These are the pictures we were talking about." Kaoru said while shoving an envelope towards Aoshi and Misao. Aoshi took out the pictures and Misao peeked in curiosity. Those were pictures of Kenshin with the same girl over and over again. Going into a hotel, outside the hotel, into a jewelry store, in a café, hugging, holding hands…

"The girl in the picture, she's his current wife." Kaoru said. Misao fumed.

"THAT BASTARD!! I'M GONNA KICK HIS RED HAIRY BUTT!!!" Misao screamed.

"These pictures seem real, but I'm still going to show it to a professional. I hope you don't mind." Aoshi said. Kaoru smiled.

"Sure, sure. Do whatever you want with them. Just make sure that the person is not going to spill the scandals to the press." She reminded him.

"How did you get these pictures?" asked Misao.

"I hired a private investigator." Kaoru answered. Misao looked a little surprised, but then nodded.

"Well, okay… You rich people are weird and twisted." She muttered. Kaoru laughed. Aoshi finished his tea and put the pictures back into the envelope.

"So, I'm leaving now. I have called his lawyer…"

"Sagara Sanosuke?" asked Kaoru. Aoshi nodded.

"Yes. Do you know him?" he asked back.

"Yeah, he's a friend. A nice guy, a little confused sometimes, but very nice." She said with a shrug. Aoshi nodded again and stood up.

"Well then, see you in two weeks." With that, he left the restaurant. Misao looked at her and lifted up her right brow.

"So?" She asked.

"So?" Kaoru imitated her. Misao sighed.

"Continue the story? What happened after the wedding?" She asked eagerly.

"Nothing much, but four month after that…"

…

_**Tokyo, 7 years ago**_

Even though it was late, Kaoru was still awake, waiting for Kenshin to come back. She swore she heard his car an hour ago, but until now, he was nowhere to be found. Slowly, Kaoru walked towards the study, and she found Kenshin, sitting in the dark. Kaoru turned on the lights and Kenshin looked up.

"Kaoru? You're still awake?" He asked with a sore voice.

"What happened, Kenshin?" She asked back, worried. Kenshin sighed and tilted his head down, looking very frustrated, but then forced a smile.

"Nothing serious, it's just that the new cellphone model we are developing has to be cancelled. The rival company has begun the distributing of the cellphone that has the same features we were going to use. But hey, it's just a small mistake. Don't worry about it." Kenshin said, trying to be reassuring, even though he sounded a little reluctant. Kaoru looked at him apologetically.

"It's my father's fault, isn't it?" She mumbled. Kenshin frowned.

"No! Of course not, Kaoru! Your dad is a great businessman and there are more factors that caused the failure… It's not that big of a deal, really. My dad is too greedy, that's all. He's planning to expand into an IT business without knowing in detail what he's getting himself into. He should just stick to hotels, resorts, and cars." Kenshin explained, trying to assure Kaoru. Kaoru looked a little reluctant, but then nodded and let out a faint smile.

"Alright then, just tell me if you need anything." She said while leaving the study.

Kaoru's heart sank as she climbed the stairs towards their bedroom. The memory about the conversation she overheard in the room came bugging in. She remembered every sentence perfectly like it was yesterday, and she had always managed to push it aside until now.

"…_If Kamiya can't act fast enough, I don't see the point of you marrying his daughter…"_

It's true that the old man Himura was always very nice to her, but he was also known as a ruthless businessman who would use any means to get ahead. If she was already useless, it was not impossible for him to throw her away. Kenshin wouldn't be much of a help, since Kaoru knew that he was not the type who would hold her hands and just said something like, "me and you, versus the world…" Suddenly, everything became so confusing for her.

She went passed a few day just hoping no one would bring up the topic. But then, on a quiet dinner in Himura mansion, her father-in-law mentioned something that made her feel uneasy.

"Son, do you know who's coming back to town?" He asked Kenshin with an amused glint in his eyes. Kenshin looked up from his soup and frowned.

"No. Who? Someone I know?" He asked.

"Of course! It's Yukishirou-san, Kenshin. Your ex girlfriend. She is coming back next week. She graduated as one of the best in her class, and is ready to take over the Yukishirou family business."

"Oh, good for them. Tomoe is a smart person." Kenshin commented politely.

"You know, she is planning to expand into the tea and coffee plantation business. They have too many rice fields already, I think. You should meet her and see whether she wants your help. I mean, you're into those things, right? Drinks, food and cooking stuff… Maybe you two could establish a co-dependant business." His father suggested. Kenshin smiled.

"I don't know much about coffee and tea, but we have an expert in both areas here, sitting next to me." He said while taking Kaoru's hand and looking at her with a smile. His father looked at Kaoru and smiled.

"Great! You two should meet her and help her." He said before excusing himself from the table. Kaoru stood up and chased him.

"Otou-san?" She called him. He turned around and smiled.

"Yes, dear?"

"I heard from Kenshin about what happened. I'm so sorry about that. My father, he-"

"It's okay, Kaoru. Things like this happen all the time." He calmed her down.

"You're not mad at me or my father?" Kaoru asked again.

"Of course not. You're family!" He patted Kaoru's back and smiled.

"Thank god, I thought you're angry at us…" She sighed in relief. Her father in-law looked at her.

"I have to remind you about something, though. That girl, Yukishirou Tomoe, be careful with her." He said in a low voice. Kaoru frowned.

"Huh?"

"She is Kenshin's ex girlfriend, the reason why your engagement was delayed for so many years. I wanted him to meet you sooner, but because of this girl, he kept on refusing the omiai. When she left, Kenshin agreed to go for the omiai, but he was still madly in love with that girl. He is a weak man, Kaoru. A little touch from that woman would make him fall all over again, so I hope that as his wife, you could take care of him." He reminded her. Kaoru pressed her lips together and nodded reluctantly. He smiled and patted Kaoru's hair.

"Good girl. I'll leave everything to you, then." He said before leaving the room.

*****

_**Okinawa, Present time**_

"Wow." Misao said.

"Yeah, wow." Kaoru imitated her. Misao sighed.

"Well, I don't know what to say. I got confused Kaoru. Before, you were like, Himura's fan. And then suddenly you had a child with him. And then you're married to him. And then you want to divorce him. What do you actually want?" She asked. Kaoru shrugged.

"I'm not sure. It doesn't really matter what kind of decision I have taken, it would still be hurtful." She muttered.

"So, this Tomoe girl is the root of all evil, ain't it?" Misao asked.

"I don't know. She is a nice person." Kaoru replied, a little unsure.

"I don't like Himura's old man either. He gives me creeps. Himura told me about him as well, and I think he's the 'nothing personal, it's just business' type of person." Misao commented.

"Yeah, he is. But he's also really nice, even though he's a little stiff. He cares a lot about Kenshin." Kaoru defended him. Misao cringed her nose.

"Everyone in that family is annoying! Even the lawyer is annoying. I wanna see his face as Aoshi-sama kick him in the crotch during the court session!" Misao said, half screaming. Kaoru chuckled.

"He's also a nice person." She commented. Misao howled in frustration.

"You think everyone is NICEEE!!!" She screamed. Kaoru chuckled.

"But they are, Misao-chan. Anyways, can Kenji stay with you while I'm away?"

"You're not gonna take him to Tokyo?" asked Misao. Kaoru shook her head.

"Not now. I need to focus on this." She answered.

"Yeah, but you'll be gone on his holiday. He's looking forward to spending his holiday with you." Misao said.

"I'll make it up to him."

"You always said that."

Kaoru sighed and looked at Misao. "Come on, Misao-chan. Just this time. I promise I'll take him after this."

"Alright." Misao said with a smile.

*****

"But I wanna go to Tokyo too!" Kenji screamed. Misao sighed.

"Come on, don't you like being with Misao nee-chan?" She asked desperately, but then Kenji jumped around the café while screaming some inaudible sentences. Misao chased him around, knocking down a few pots, and tripped right before Kenji got into Kaoru's office and locked the door.

"I WANT TO GO TO TOKYOOOO!!!" Kenji screamed from the inside of the room. Misao grunted as she tried to stand back up.

"Mommy has some business, Kenji. Come on, you're not a kid anymore." She said.

"I AM A KID!! I'M SIX!!!" He screamed again. Misao huffed. Most kids wanted to be treated like an adult, yet this one deliberately admitted that he was a kid.

"Ok fine. What else do you want?" She bargained.

"I want to go to Tokyo!!"

"I can't do that!!! Your mom will kill me!!"

"THEN I'LL JUST STAY HERE FOREVER!!!" He screamed again, and soon Misao heard "Me and Mrs. Jones" played from the room.

"Oh God, the resemblance is uncanny…" She said to herself, a little frustrated. She could bring him to Tokyo. It's holiday, and going to Tokyo didn't always mean meeting Kaoru and Kenshin. They could just go to a few tourist spots, a few museums, Disneyland, and maybe even going to Shinjuku and found some nice clothes. Not a bad idea. By the end of each day, they would be too tired to even remember Kaoru, and they would go back to Okinawa happy and glowing from a vacation, and she would give Kenji some bribe money, and even a few toys so that he didn't tell Kaoru that they went to Tokyo. It's not like Kaoru didn't leave enough money to splurge.

"Alright, we're going to Tokyo!" Misao said excitedly. Soon, she heard a click on the door, and Kenji's head popped out.

"Really?" He asked with a big, surprised eyes.

"Yeah, really." She grinned. Kenji came out of the room and hugged her tightly.

"Thank you, Onee-chaan!!" he said. Misao hugged him back.

"Alright, now we have to pack up. I'm going to search for a plane ticket, and you will prepare your clothes at home. Okay?" she said. Kenji nodded happily. As they held hands and walked out of the café, Kenji sneered.

"Misao nee-chan is easier to crack than Mom." He mumbled while looking at the humming Misao.


	8. Chapter 8

Standard disclaimer applied

AN: What do we do when we're bored? We enter Yahiko! Yippe! I don't know why lately I've been thinking that Kenshin would look really good as a female kabuki dancer… (no, not Kenshin as a girl, but as those male kabuki dancers who plays female role…) and Aoshi could be the male counterparts hahhahaha… Anyhoo, I feel that this chapter didn't come out as I wanted it, but it's still okay. I hope you enjoy the story, and don't forget to review! :D

:

**The Intersection**

**:**

**:**

"Wow." Kaoru looked around the airport in awe. "I've never noticed that the airport building is so nice." She said again. Aoshi looked at her.

"Never?" He asked briefly.

"Nope. I always had my private jet, and then the cars would be waiting for me near the plane. I didn't really need to go through the common waiting area and arrival area because it's a hassle." She said innocently with a smile. Aoshi frowned. Apparently, she still had some snob blood left in her veins. They walked out of the airport to find some taxi, and saw at least twenty black suited guys with six black Mercedes and a grey Rolls Royce in front of the airport entrance, blocking the way. The Rolls Royce door suddenly opened and a kid came out. Kaoru looked at him, surprised.

"Yahiko! What… What are you doing here?" She asked. Yahiko smiled lazily.

"Hello, Busu. I'm here because Dad forced me to pick you up." He said casually. He then looked at Aoshi from the head to toe and frowned. "Is that your new boyfriend?" He asked. Kaoru smacked his head.

"NO BAKA! He's my divorce lawyer!" She screamed. Aoshi nodded politely at him.

"Shinomori Aoshi." He said while giving his name card to the kid. The kid frowned.

"Okay, I don't need a lawyer yet, but thanks. I'm Kamiya Yahiko." He said, bowing back to the taller man. Kaoru frowned.

"What's with the cars? Are we rich again?" She asked. Yahiko snorted.

"Yes we are, Busu. Dad works hard 'so that we have something when Kaoru comes back'. Kenshin visited a few times, but always being refused. Anyways, let's talk at home. Dad wants to meet you so bad." Aoshi and Kaoru followed yahiko into the grey car.

"I didn't know that you told your father about this." Aoshi said. Kaoru shrugged.

"I didn't. I'm not really that surprised, though. They have their ways." She said. Yahiko snorted.

"Dad spent a lot of money to hire an investigator and bribe others so that Kenshin couldn't find you. That's why you could live alone for six years without anyone bothering you." He said. Kaoru grinned.

"He's learning to be evil! Good for him." She commented cheerfully.

**OOOOO**

Kaoru bit her lips as their car entered the gate of the house. She looked around, and felt a little calmer seeing a familiar sight. The trees and flowers were trimmed and tended carefully, and the pathways were still the rough, grey stone arranged in circular shape. His father always liked houses like in the mafia movies, and he built this mansion with a taste of 'Godfather' in it. The arched doors and windows with canopies, tan coloured exterior, the vine covering the lower part of the house, the Italian style grand fountain… They stopped in front of the main entrance and a woman opened the car door. Kaoru got out of the car, stopped, and screamed.

"TAEEE-SAAAAN!" She hugged the woman who opened the door, and the woman hugged her back.

"Oh my god Kaoru-chan! I'm waiting for you to arrive!" She said ecstatically. The hugged again and looked at each other.

"Oh my god, I miss you! But why are you greeting me out here?" Kaoru asked. Tae grinned.

"Come on! I'm the butler! Your dad sent me abroad to study for a few years until I'm qualified to be a butler." She explained. Kaoru screamed, and they jumped around excitedly.

"A woman in a guy's job! I love it!" Kaoru hugged her again. They looked at each other, and Tae smiled.

"It's good to see our young mistress back. And anyway, your dad is rather ill for the past few months. Nothing major, he's just getting old. He had a mild heart attack after you left, so Yahiko-kun decided to screen all the reports and findings about you and left out the parts that could get him another heart attack. He knows that you're here, but he doesn't know that you're a mother and still not divorced yet with Kenshin. If you want to tell him, tell him wisely." She said. Kaoru snorted.

"Okay, so you guys know everything about me. I have no stories to tell anymore!" She pouted. Tae grinned.

"You still have to tell me everything, alright. I'd love to go to Okinawa and visit you, but then again I can't really get out. We'll have a day out later, after you meet your father." Said Tae. Kaoru smiled at her, inhaled, and entered the house, while Tae was greeting the others. She looked around and noticed some changes. The carpet was new, it seemed like something Tae would pick. The fresh jasmine and roses were arranged in the middle of the main hall beautifully. The doors had changed colour and the handles were new, the style and pattern of the curtains had changed too. The walls had been repainted in a soft cream colour, and the windowsills were darker than she had remembered. So everything changed after all.

She climbed the stairs and headed into her room. She opened the door and smiled. It was still the same as before. The most Japanese room in the house. Her kimono was waiting in the hanger, the books she never got to tidy up were lying down on the wooden floor near a Japanese table and cushion, and the big bed was covered in her favourite bedsheet. Kaoru inhaled the smell of the incense soaked to the kimono and remembered how she missed wearing one so much. Before she drifted off even more, a cough from behind awoke her from her thoughts. She turned around and gasped to see an old man standing in front of the room.

"Dad!" She ran and hugged his father.

"My daughter, where have you been?" The old man muttered as he hugged her back. They looked at each other and Kaoru dragged him into her room and made him sit on the couch.

"I'm going to call the kitchen to bring us some drink." Kaoru said as she reached the phone. Her father chuckled and took out a walkie talkie.

"Phones are old-fashioned. We use this now. Copy, Miss Eagle. The raccoon has landed and she wants some tea." Her father talked to the walkie talkie. Soon they heard Tae's voice.

"Roger, Mr Tiger." Tae replied with a funny voice from the walkie talkie. Kaoru could tell that she was trying hard to hold back her laughter and grinned. Her father looked at her with a sad smile.

"You're so skinny. Did you not eat well?" He asked. Kaoru smiled.

"It's a trend, Dad. The skinnier you are, the more beautiful you are." She replied with a grin. Her father frowned.

"And your clothes… Why don't you buy some proper clothes?" He asked. Kaoru looked at her t-shirt and worn out jeans.

"These are the clothes I bought from my own hardwork, Dad. I'm proud of it. Although, I do miss my beautiful kimonos." She said while looking at her kimono hanging on the wooden hanger. Her father smiled.

"You're still very stubborn. So tell me, what's new?" He asked. Kaoru gulped.

"Well, don't be too shocked, okay? You have a grandchild." She said slowly. She saw him paused, and looked at her with a frown.

"You have a baby out of wedlock?" He asked. Kaoru shook her head.

"No, no, of course not! It's Kenshin's." She said. Her father looked so disgusted.

"That's even worse than having a bastard." He commented. Kaoru sighed.

"He's a very kind and smart boy, Dad. Don't talk bad about him." She said. Suddenly, his annoyed and disgusted expression on his face changed and he glowed in happiness. He chuckled at Kaoru.

"Wait… A boy? It's a boy? I have a grandson? Do you have his picture?" he asked. Kaoru smiled. Her father had always wanted a grandson, and now he got one. She took out her wallet and took out a picture of Kenji. He looked at the picture and frowned again.

"He looks like that good-for-nothing jerk. What a shame." Her father said.

"You'll still love him, right?" Kaoru asked. He sighed and smiled.

"Of course I will. He's my grandson. We have to take care of him well so that he doesn't grow up like his father." He said with a cringe on his nose.

**OOOOO**

Kenshin drove away from Himura mansion with a grim face. His conversations with his father were never pleasant, but so far the conversation they had an hour ago was the worst. They would start with a cup of tea, a few cookies, and the father would open the conversation with a question.

"Son, do you know who came back in town just recently?" He asked him. A conversation opener that Kenshin dreaded the most, because when someone they knew was in town, there were two things that could happen to him; he either had to entertain a nosy foreign business partner for one whole week or he had to impress a potential investor. Both would make him run around, juggling between his busy schedules and visiting geisha tea houses in Roppongi.

"Who?" He asked, uninterested.

"Your lawful wife, Kaoru!" He said with a smirk on his face. Kenshin stopped his movement and looked away.

"I know that." He said briefly. The father chuckled.

"Well, why don't you visit her?" He asked. Kenshin flashed a death glare to his father.

"I'm divorcing her, just like you've always wanted. And I don't think Kamiya-san would be happy to see a jerk who made his daughter suffer come and visit his house." He said. His father snorted.

"Like I've always wanted? Kiddo, I'm trying to give what's best for you, that's all. You wanted Tomoe, so I gave you Tomoe. You want Kaoru now, so I'm giving you Kaoru." He said. Kenshin looked at his father with an angry face, but he chose to stay quiet. His father sighed. "I actually like Kaoru. She is a good girl. Very fine woman." He added. Kenshin frowned.

"And you saying this has nothing to do with the crazy increase of Kamiya Corporation stock values?" He asked calmly, even though he had a grim expression on his face. His father shook his head with a sly smile on his face.

"Come on, Kenshin! That is just a perk of having a Kamiya as a wife. But the most important thing is you desired her, don't you? LOVE her? I swear to god, sometimes I can't figure out why a man like you still thinks like a seventeen-year-old. Love, sacrifice, Romeo, Juliette, blah blah…"

"Father…"

"You know, I respect Kaoru a lot. She was pure when she was married with you. Unlike Tomoe, I heard she lived together with her ex-boyfriend when she was abroad? And I'm sure you and her other ex-boyfriends has slept with her as well before. A fine woman is the one who stays pure until after they got married. Besides, she's still talking to that ex-boyfriend, right? You can break off the wedding and stay business partners with her. She can go back to her ex if she wants it, and you'll be with Kaoru. That way everyone is happy. I just hope Kaoru had laid off her booze. I'm hoping to have an heir to continue our family's legacy." His father continued.

CRACK.

The expensive tea cup was broken, crushed by Kenshin's hand. His father raised an eyebrow, looking at his son's bleeding hand, while Kenshin himself didn't care about it. He got up and bowed politely towards his father, even though his eyes pierced the old man with hatred.

"I have to take my leave now, father. There are some unfinished issues at the office." He said, trying hard to sound polite. He left the room without throwing his father a second glance.

And now, he was driving faster than usual. His blood was still boiling, but he had to calm himself down before meeting Sano and probably talked about the divorce; another thing that ticked him off. He parked at a parking building and went to Hachikou statue in Shibuya. He didn't know why Sano wanted to meet him there, but he had always picked places where there were a lot of pretty girls around. He sat nearby, trying to find Sano among the crowd, even though the things that his father said to him kept on replaying in his head.

"STOP RUNNING, KEN-CHAN!" He heard a scream. The voice sounded familiar to him. He stood up and looked beyond the crowd, and found Misao running out of the train station, chasing Kenji, both of them were wearing big backpacks and Kenji had his thermal water bottle hanging on his shoulder. He frowned. It wasn't really surprising, with Kaoru here, she would probably take some people from Okinawa to stay with her. But the Kaoru he knew wouldn't let those two roam around in some strange area without any bodyguard, or at least a chauffeur. Since she agreed to go back to Kamiya mansion, she was probably okay being pampered like before, with all the helps, bodyguards, chauffeur, etc. He stood up and took the running Kenji from the ground. Misao stopped running and looked at Kenshin while panting heavily.

"Oh boy." She said. Kenji looked at Kenshin happily.

"Look, nee-chan! Daddy's here to pick us up!" He said. Kenshin frowned.

"Where's Mummy, Kenji?" He asked the little kid.

"I don't know! I came here with Misao-neechan because Mommy didn't want me to go with her!" He said innocently. Kenshin looked at Misao for further explanation.

"Well, Kenji wanted to come here, and he has a few days off, so I took him here… I was hoping that he would stop moping around just because he was left behind by Kaoru. We're supposed to go back in three days and he was not supposed to tell Kaoru, coz I know you both would be busy and stuff." Misao elaborated. Kenshin sighed.

"Okay, since you're here, I'll take you to Kaoru's place. I don't think she would mind." He said. Misao shook her head.

"NONONONONOOOOO… You don't understaaand… She can't know that I'm here!" Misao chirped faster than usual. Kenshin frowned.

"Well, you're here anyway. I'm sure that Kaoru wouldn't like it if she found out that you're wandering around the city without anyone guarding you. And I think she WILL find out. Leaving home to travel is not exactly something small that you could hide, you know…" He said.

"Please Himura. Taking me to Kaoru's place now is like sending me to the lion's den. Kenji would get scolded as well, you know…" She said. Kenshin sighed.

"Okay, fine. You're staying in my hotel then." He said. Misao looked at him, amazed.

"NO WAAAY… THAT FIVE STARS HOTEL YOU OWN? For FREEEE? I saw it in the TV once, during that celebrity party thing…" She said with a hopeful face. Kenshin chuckled.

"Well, You're babysitting my son, so I can at least do this much, right? I'll give you the penthouse." He replied. Misao grinned.

"Himura, apparently you still have kindness in your heart…" She said happily. Before Kenshin said anything, he spotted a familiar spiky hair in the crowd. Kenshin lifted up his hands.

"Yo, Sano!" He shouted. Sano walked towards Kenshin with a grin.

"Yo, Kenshin! I found that 'evidence' thing Jou-chan was telling you about!" He said, but then stopped and looked at Misao and Kenji.

"What's a weasel doin- WOW… Who's that creepy kid who looks like you so much?" He asked while looking at Kenshin's blue-eyed mini-me. Kenshin chuckled and looked at Kenji.

"This is my son, Kenji. Kenji, say hi to uncle Sano." Kenshin said. Kenji didn't say anything; he was busy staring at Sano's hair like it was a part of a clown show.

"Hey, little boy. My hair is amazing, alright!" Sano said. Kenji looked at Sano, and grinned.

"Uncle rooster-head!" He said, and he and Kenshin laughed together. Sano snorted.

"We'll see, Kenji. One day I'll make your hair look like this, and you'll be thankful for that! This hair is a babe magnet!" Sano said, and Misao scoffed.

"Babe magnet?" She muttered. Sano looked at her, and then gasped like a girl.

"THAT VOICE! You're Jou-chan's lawyer's stupid secretary!" He said.

"OH MY GOD! You're the smelly lawyer! Just so you know, I'm not some secretary; I'm Aoshi-sama's GIRLFRIEND!" She screamed. Sano snorted.

"Well, I'm here to talk about business with Kenshin, so shoo! Shoo!" He said while gesturing her to leave. Misao snorted.

"I know more about Kaoru. I know what 'evidence' you guys are talking about. And YOU! Mister I'm-handsome-and-successful-all-girls-want-me, you are not winning me over with your hotel and the big penthouse and your great buffet I saw on the internet… and your warm swimming pool… and the jacuzzi… and the first class spa treatment… Oh my god, I'm actually thinking about choosing a famous five star hotel with an internationally renowned reputation and first class service over Kaoru! NO NO NO! NONONONO!" Misao chirped out a long monologue in denial with a speed that could only be compared to a bullet train. Kenshin frowned.

"What? You saw the evidence?" He asked Misao.

"Yeah! Pictures of you having an affair with that woman!" She screamed. Sano smirked in victory.

"I take it that if you have seen the pictures, your Aoshi-sama saw them as well, and he's going to use it in the court? Thanks to you, Weasel, we know what's coming and we can prepare ourselves. MUHAHAHAHHA!" Sano laughed an evil laugh, like in those cheesy Dracula movies.

"SHIT!" Misao shouted, and all the adults gasped. Misao covered her mouth while Kenji looked at Misao, intrigued.

"What is a 'shit'? SHIT SHIT SHIT!" Kenji screamed the words and laughed. Sano looked at Misao judgingly while Misao looked away, still covering her mouth. Kenshin sighed and smiled calmly at Kenji.

"I'll explain to you later, if you promised me not to say that word until tonight. Now, you should go with onee-chan and have fun! I'll pick you up tonight and we'll have dinner together. I'll arrange a car to pick you up and drop you off anywhere you want this whole day, sounds good?" Kenshin said softly to Kenji. Kenji frowned as Kenshin put him back on the ground, but then smiled happily at Kenshin.

"Cars! And dinner! You've promised, Daddy! We'll have dinner together!" He said. Kenshin smiled at him and looked at Misao.

"You guys are still staying at the hotel I assigned you. I want my son to be under my surveillance. The chauffeur I'm sending you will know where to go. If you need anything, please call me." He said to Misao. Misao nodded reluctantly, took Kenji's hands and dragged him away after saying goodbye to Kenshin and Sano. Kenshin sighed, and looked at Sano.

"So, what's the 'evidence' thing?" He asked. Sano grinned.

"I took the liberty of digging into the case myself, and found out that Kaoru had hired a guy to follow you around when you were still married. I called him and arranged him some money in exchange of the findings he had reported to Kaoru. I don't know why he wanted to meet here, instead of in his office." Sano said. Kenshin shrugged.

A few minutes later, a guy came out of the station and greeted Sano. He looked very suspicious, with a hat and sunglasses. He brought a big paper folder with him.

"Sagara Sanosuke-san?" He asked reluctantly. Sano and Kenshin bowed a little.

"Ah, you're the private investigator Kaoru hired a few years ago." Kenshin said. The guy nodded.

"Yes… I brought you the copy of the report I made for Himura-sama… I mean, Kamiya-sama… Complete with pictures and audio and such." He said while handing out the folder to Sano. Kenshin looked at the folder.

"These are all the reports you have that you gave to Kaoru?" He asked. The guy looked away.

"Actually… It's the complete version of the report. The ones I sent to Kaoru were incomplete." He said reluctantly. Sano frowned.

"The complete version?"

"Yes… I was threatened to… uh… not include the audio recording and some of the pictures into the report… Everything I was about to send to her had been edited. He's still watching me now, that's why I can't meet you guys in my office." He said. Kenshin frowned.

"By who?" He asked. The guy looked at Kenshin and sighed.

"By your father."

**OOOOO**

Kenshin looked at the pictures on his table. He felt too tired to think about anything right now, even though he couldn't help but imagining how Kaoru felt when she saw these pictures. So many pictures of him and Tomoe coming out of the hotel where Tomoe was staying. There were hugging pictures, or even the coincidental hand holding that probably happened because of some technical reason. There were pictures in some angles that looked like they were kissing as well. All these pictures were picked to be attached in the report, and the normal pictures were discarded. He hadn't heard the audio recording, but he didn't feel like doing it. The pictures were bizarre enough to get him an ulcer. He sighed and picked up his office phone.

"Can you please make sure that Tomoe is available in two hours? I need to talk to her." He said briefly to his secretary. He then reached to the small counter behind him and poured himself some whiskey. His mind wandered to that day, the one day he could never forget in his entire life.

"_Kenshin… Just for today, hold me…"_

_**Tokyo, 6 years ago**_

It's been awhile since he saw his wife. They were only married for a solid year now, but already they were drifting apart. They rarely talked, heck, they rarely saw each other. Kenshin sighed as he looked at the light blue box with silver "Tiffany's" engraved on it, put it back in his pocket and wondered if it would be enough to cheer her up. After all, he came home late again, even though it was their anniversary. At that time of the night, Kenshin would usually come home and found Kaoru, asleep in their bed, and he would sneak into the bed so that he wouldn't wake her up. He opened the bedroom door, and found Kaoru, in her silk kimono with hair in a messy bun, making his favourite drink. The room smelled like tea, brandy and cinnamon. She turned around and smiled to see Kenshin.

"Hi. I made you the tea you like." She said as he helped Kenshin taking off his suit and tie. Kenshin smiled and sat on the armed sofa before taking a sip of the drink. Kaoru sat beside him and massaged his shoulder. Kenshin flinched a little, a since her touch felt a little unfamiliar to him, but then relaxed as he saw her smile.

"Happy anniversary, Kenshin." She whispered. Kenshin sighed and smiled. It's been three months since they actually did things that a couple would do, and it was because they were both got really drunk in Sano's party. Tonight, he would do it right, without getting drunk and without having a funny feeling like he's raping her like in their wedding night. Kenshin pressed his lips together and stood up.

"Well, I'll get myself cleaned up first, okay?" He said softly. Kaoru grabbed his hand.

"You won't… leave or anything, right?" she asked anxiously. Kenshin frowned.

"Of course not, I just want to change into something more comfortable." He said while leaving for the bathroom. He understood her anxiety; after all, he often went to his study to do some work after he got home, leaving her alone in the room. He took out his pajamas and began to change when suddenly Kaoru came into the bathroom and hugged him from behind. Kenshin blushed, but then he turned around and returned the hug.

"What's wrong?" He asked softly. Kaoru looked at him with begging eyes.

"I'm sorry, I know you're tired. But Kenshin… Just for today, hold me…" She said softly. Kenshin lifted up her chin, kissed her deeply and took off her kimono. She was gorgeous. Her sheer satin nightie made her skin glowed. Kenshin caressed her arms and kissed her shoulder. No man could resist such beauty, not even when he was so jaded and tired.

"You're beautiful," he whispered. He lifted up her body and carried her into the bed. Slowly, he took off her small nightie and admired her body. She smiled as she reached Kenshin's nape and hugged him.

"Thank you, Kenshin." She whispered before they kissed again.

The next morning, Kenshin woke up from the smell of coffee and cinnamon. He opened his eyes, saw a cup on the coffee table, and smiled. He was the happiest man on earth.

"Kaoru." He called, but no one answered. Kenshin sighed. Maybe she was already downstairs dealing with the help. Kenshin got up and sat on the sofa. He was going to drink the coffee when he saw a big envelope. He frowned as he didn't remember taking any of his works home. Suspicious, he opened it and his eyes widened with shock.

A signed divorce paper.

Kenshin was freezing for a few seconds, not sure whether it was real or whether he was still half asleep and somehow having a nightmare. He reached deeper into the envelope, and found a small paper.

_Dear Kenshin, _

_I'm sorry for making you go through everything. You deserve better. _

_I hope you can be happy with the one you truly love. _

_Remember this, though: I will love you forever._

_Kaoru_


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: RK isn't mine

AN: I'm finally back! Yaaay… I'm back as a 20 years old jobless graduate trying to make a living in the middle of turmoil and recession :p The choices are, getting a PhD or trying to find a job, and I don't want to be one of those geeks who has a PhD degree when they're 22, so job it is… -_-" Oh, better yet, I can just look for a rich guy (much like Kenshin in this fic 3) and marry him :D Anyways, enough with my boring rant! So this is the continuation, I use a more confusing pattern of storytelling coz when I got to the mid section I just wrote it however I wanted, ignoring the plan I have made earlier. I just hope you understand what I'm trying to say, but if you don't, please tell me and I'll try to re-upload it! And yes I know it's kinda OOC (I personally don't really like OOC) but I like it this way actually. And this chapter is quite long and there are some seemingly redundant part, but I jusrt need to cut some out for next chapter… I just hoped that people are still reading this story. Sorry for the loooong update and I hope you enjoy it. Don't forget to review!

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**The Intersection**

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Tomoe's phone slipped from her soft hand and fell to the ground. Her face was expressionless, even though her eyes shone in anxiety. She froze like a statue; she didn't even hear Kenshin coming out from his room. Since their marriage, they had decided to sleep in separate rooms and didn't meddle in each other's private lives. They were once lovers, but now Tomoe couldn't feel anything for him except a feeling of friendly love and affection.

Kenshin walked into the kitchen and frowned at her. "What happened? You look stumped." He commented, and Tomoe looked at him.

"What?" She answered him absentmindedly.

"You looked stumped, and your phone is on the floor." Kenshin repeated, and for a split second, her eyes widened in surprise.

She took her phone from the floor and shook her head. "I was just spacing out a little, breakfast?" She asked while sitting on the dining table. Kenshin shook his head.

"No, it's okay. I'm meeting Kaoru privately for brunch. What's your schedule today?" He asked. Tomoe sighed as she poured a glass of orange juice.

"I have a meeting outside today, but I will return to the office in the afternoon to run a few things with you and the production manager about the cocoa drink you proposed last month."

"Alright."

"Well then." She took her purse and was about to walk off when Kenshin called her. She turned around and saw him smile.

"You know you can always talk to me about anything. I'll try and help you with your problems." He said. Tomoe flashed a really faint smile.

"Okay." She answered briefly before leaving the kitchen. Kenshin sighed and sat on the dining chair while pouring himself his dose of caffeine. His brain was scattered everywhere, and he just hoped that Tomoe's weird behavior today was not the start of another drama. He had enough headache as it was.

**OoooO**

**Tokyo, 6 years ago**

Kaoru had finished her kendo training, ikebana class, and she had gone shopping for a new dress, and it was only afternoon. She had no choice but to go back home and waited for her husband to come home. It was her least favourite thing to do, since Kenshin was never on time. He always came home very late that she always fell asleep every time he arrived. Since they got married, not once he came home at normal times. She had thought that maybe he was repulsed by her, but these few days she was almost convinced that it wasn't really about her as much as it was about another woman.

A month back, she found a big envelope addressed to her father-in-law in their living room. It wasn't sealed, so Kaoru figured that it wasn't really an important document and decided to open it. Apparently, it was a complete report with pictures about her husband.

Kaoru felt like her heart just stopped. Kenshin was holding hands and hugging that other woman intimately. That woman whose picture she had seen in his wallet the first couple of weeks they were together. He threw it away after their engagement was official, of course, but who knows what would reside in one's heart. It wasn't that she didn't know this, but to have it shoved up on her face so obviously like that was like an electric shock for her.

She remembered her good friend Megumi, and her divorce with one of the richest businessman in Japan, Takeda Kanryuu. It was messy and Megumi spent her weeks juggling between the courtroom drama, handling her overexposure in gossip tabloids and magazines, and her work on weekdays, and trying to kill herself with any means possible on weekends. Kaoru asked Kenshin to get someone to keep her in surveillance without her knowing, just in case she decided to do something foolish. Kenshin gladly helped, and even then Kaoru was so worried that she called her at least once every hour.

Their marriage was arranged as well, and everyone knew that Takeda Kanryuu was famous for being a womanizer. Megumi closed her eyes about this for five years, ignoring every nameless calls and emails that stated that they saw her husband with different girls in different hotels, until one day the scandal, complete with the pictures, was published in a gossip newspaper. It was like a harsh wake up call to her, and at that point she couldn't even pretend to be happy anymore. 23 years old Megumi almost crumbled, trying to survive the opposing families, bloody and messy wealth settlement, dominating ex-husband and sour news in the media.

When Kaoru asked her how could she manage to survive for five whole years with that pathetic excuse of a man, she shrugged and said, "if there were no pictures in those articles, I would probably manage to stay a little longer."

Kamiya and Himura family merger had failed, her father was at fault. Since the crumbling collaboration, Kenshin stopped coming home. Around that time, Tomoe came home as well. It was as if everything and everyone were out to destroy her marriage. Maybe it had been better if she divorced him immediately. Maybe he'd be happier that way.

"Crazy Kaoru! Kenshin is not that kind of person! There are a lot of people who wants to destroy your marriage and you shouldn't take each and one of them seriously." Kaoru scolded herself and put the documents back into the envelope and took it to the room. She kept it in her drawer, beneath her old clothes. She had no idea why she had to hide it, but she did without thinking further.

It began to rain in the late afternoon, and Kaoru felt really gloomy. She pranced around aimlessly with an angry face on, making the maids a little fidgety. Suddenly, her phone rang. She picked it up and answered it lazily.

"Yes?"

"Kaoru?"

Kaoru jumped and sat on the nearest chair. It was a bad habit not to look at the caller id before answering the phone.

"Kenshin?" She asked, a little amazed. This is might be the second time Kenshin called her on her phone. The first time was when he first going home late.

"I'm coming home pretty early tonight. Can you please tell the cook to fix something light for me?" He asked, and Kaoru almost jolted in happiness.

"Yeah, sure." She said, trying to surpress her excited voice. Kenshin went quiet for a second, and then coughed.

"Alright then. We'll have dinner together." He said before saying goodbye and hung up. Kaoru sighed and smiled. It was a rare chance to find a bonding time with him. She thought living with him for months would make them warmed up towards each other. It was a hard goal to achieve when the other person was constantly away. Kaoru made sure that she would use this opportunity well.

She ran to the kitchen in a flash and started cooking, much to her staff's horror. She was good at creating beverages, but cooking was never her area. She burned everything, from the pasta she tried to cook, until the water she tried to boil. Yes, she managed to fail that.

"Himura-san, why don't we just cook something… I don't know… more down to earth?" asked one of the maids, and Kaoru shrugged.

"What's more down to earth than fried rice?" She asked.

"Maybe… Rice with smoked salmon and miso soup? We already cooked the miso soup for dinner anyway… " The maid suggested. Kaoru hesitated.

"But that's too simple…"

"But Young Master likes really simple, common food, no?"

"I guess…"

So then with the careful help of three maids and two cooks, Kaoru managed to produce a decent smoked salmon after three hours and 4kgs of burnt salmon. It was a good day. Kenshin was coming home early, Kaoru cooked a decent food, and she felt better than ever.

She took a long bath and was putting on some lotion in the bathroom when she heard the door was opened. A minute later, Kenshin entered the bathroom and looked a little surprised when he found Kaoru sitting on the stool, rubbing her thigh.

"Oh, sorry. You're so quiet so I thought you're not here." He said. Kaoru blushed, but managed to smile.

"It's okay. I'm just putting on some lotion."

"Right." He sighed and took off his shirt, and dumped it into the laundry basket. Kaoru gulped. She didn't see this view very often. Sure, they had been together for a few times, but it really was too few for someone who had been married for several months. She was still too embarrassed to see him naked, even though he looked pretty comfortable like that. Without being awkward, he took off his pants, revealing a black, not too tight, but not too loose boxer. Kaoru's face reddened and she felt a little stupid for being so weird. He was her husband after all.

Kenshin walked towards her, who sat very close to the sink, and washed his face. Kaoru grabbed a small towel beside her and gave it to him. Kenshin smiled and wiped his face with it, and then grabbed Kaoru's shoulder intimately and kissed her head. Kaoru's face became even redder than before. He had never done these things before. Their skin contacts were so limited that even the lightest touch made her feel so embarrassed.

"Thank you honey. Let's eat." He said with a soft, calming voice. Kaoru almost exploded with happiness. After Kenshin got dressed to shorts and comfortable t shirt, they went downstairs to their dining room, and Kaoru was practically skipping down the stairs happily. She went to the kitchen and took the food herself, while Kenshin was waiting in the dining room.

Who knew that happiness could come and go in a flash?

Kaoru came into the dining room with the food, and saw Kenshin staring at the stormy sky. Kaoru frowned at his weird behaviour but then realized that he was actually talking on the phone. She sighed and fixed the food on the table. Kenshin didn't even seem to realize that she was there.

"Taxi phone number… I've never even taken a taxi in Japan before! Are you still there?" He asked with an anxious tone. Kaoru looked at him. He looked very restless.

"Are you crazy? It's raining like crazy out there! Stay inside, I'll pick you up!" He said with a scolding tone. Kaoru felt her throat was drying up. He was leaving again. She heard him grunt. "No, please! I don't want you to get sick. You stay where you are, I'm leaving now." He said before turning off the phone. He turned around and saw Kaoru, staring at him with a hollow stare.

"Oh god, I'm such a jerk…" He said, covering his face. Kaoru forced a smile.

"If you're busy, you should leave now. I'm used to eating alone." She said. Kenshin grunted.

"Please don't say that… I'm sorry Kaoru… I'm so sorry…"

"Don't worry about that."

"Tell the cook I'm sorry that I didn't get to eat the food." He said, before taking his car key from the ceramic bowl on the fireplace. He left just like that, and Kaoru sighed. A moment later, she heard a familiar ringtone. Apparently Kenshin was in such a distraught that he even left his phone behind. Kaoru answered the phone, and before she could say anything, a woman from the other line spoke.

"Kenshin, are you on the way? The rain is thinning, so I guess I could just go to the main street and find a taxi. Kenshin, can you hear me? Hello? Hell-"

PEEP.

Kaoru pressed the off button and put the cellphone back near the ceramic bowl. She took all the food and dumped them into the trash bin, much to the maids' concern. It was as if the delicate barrier between the comforting sound she had created to ensure herself that she was happy and she made Kenshin happy through this marriage and the harsh truth had shattered.

Trembling, she didn't know what to do. Should she cry? Should she follow him and catch them redhanded?

With her cold hand, she opened the liquor drawer.

**OoooO**

**Tokyo, present day**

Kaoru opened her eyes and sighed. She had finally found that one closed off memory about her life where she realized that everything had shattered. That rainy day, the first time she ever cooked, Kenshin didn't even come home until morning. She didn't know what he did that day, and she never wanted to know. Then, she ran away from home. She gave birth. She desperately tried to build her shattered life back. And now, six years later, she was back where she started. In her luxurious room, only this time, all of the pictures of her prince charming which used to be on the drawer, on her desk, and on her wall had been thrown away.

Kaoru sat up and looked around the room. Her kimono had already been soaked in the heavenly scent of incense, but when she looked at the expensive sash and ribbons on the table, she realized that she had almost forgotten how to put on the kimono herself. It was ridiculous, since she had always been wearing kimono on daily basis before she left to Okinawa. So, she took out a classic 1960s grey dress from her big closet instead and hung it beside the kimono.

After her bath, she put on the dress, took out a pair of stilettos and a white expensive bag. Without glancing at the food served in the dining room, she took the car key prepared by Tae. For some reason, Kenshin asked to meet her without the attorney. Aoshi advised her to refuse this, but she insisted. She was being stupid, yes. She had always known that she was reckless when dealing with Kenshin. She just couldn't resist.

When she entered the restaurant, Kenshin was already there, drinking his water and eating some toasts and sausages. Kaoru sighed and sat in front of him. Kenshin looked up and without saying anything gave her the restaurant menu.

"The soup is good." He suggested before going back to eating his food. Kaoru ordered the soup and a glass of juice, and then sat awkwardly. Kenshin stopped eating and looked at her.

"You're not wearing a kimono." He said, stating the obvious. Kaoru chuckled.

"I don't always wear kimono, you know."

"You like wearing it, though."

Silence again. How did they talk before? Even though they were awkward towards each other when they were engaged and finally married, they still managed to talk about things and did activities together. Even in Okinawa, she could smile at him as if their horrifying past never happened. It used to come naturally to her.

"How are you?" asked Kenshin.

"Good. You?"

"Good." Long pause, and then Kenshin sighed. He opened his briefcase and then took out a rather thick folder. "I believe this is yours." He said. Kaoru frowned. She opened it and gasped. It was the report she got back from the private investigator she hired years ago. Only, this time, the folder seemed thicker. There were a few extra things in the folder she had never seen before. More pictures, investigation summaries, and an MD. Kenshin smiled and took out an MD player from his pocket, and gave it to her.

"The guy told me that this is the recording of a lot of my conversations, especially with Tomoe, during the time of his investigation. If you don't like what you're hearing, we will separate properly, I will give you everything you deserve, financially and in terms of freedom. But if you think that you can find something that you think is truthful in that recording, I beg of you, please let us talk things through first. I'm not saying that you can't divorce me... At the end, it's your choice. I'm just saying that if you feel that I deserve it, please give me a chance to prove myself to you." He pleaded.

Kaoru sighed and pressed play on the MD player.

**OoooO**

"Sagara Sanosuke-san?" asked a cold voice. Sano, who was watching his redheaded friend, turned around and saw a stiff but pretty looking guy with black hair and icy blue eyes.

"Yes?" He answered carefully, since he looked pretty villainous.

"Shinomori Aoshi. Himura Kaoru's attorney." He said, before sitting down. Sano frowned. This pretty boy was his Jou-chan's attorney?

"Okay… So what's up?" asked Sano.

"They are not supposed to have a private meeting like this. It's dangerous." Aoshi said.

"Chill, okay. They both are my good friends. No one's going to kill anyone here."

"No, not killing. Influencing my client's judgment with whatever you found on the streets." He said sharply, and Sano chuckled.

"Kenshin's just asking for a second chance. No big deal. If they got back together, you'll still get your payment so don't worry about that."

"My worries are beyond that. Himura Kaoru is the best friend of someone precious to me. She is easy to lure with words, and I don't want her to be devastated again. Besides, your client already has another woman now."

Sano sighed. This guy was like an iceberg. "You don't know how crushed Kenshin was when she left." He said.

**Tokyo, 6 years ago**

"KENSHIN!" The impatient Sano finally kicked the door open. Kenshin was alone, sitting on the chair, facing the biggest window of his room. He didn't react or anything, he just stared blankly outside the window. Sano grunted. "Bring me the food." He ordered, and two scared maids came in with food and drink. They put it down on the small table and then ran out of the room, and Sano closed the door. He took a piece of toast and a glass of water.

"Drink. Eat." He said, shoving the bread and the water into Kenshin's mouth. The bread fell out instantly, while the water dripped on Kenshin's bathrobe. He still didn't react, he just stared blankly at the sun. Sano shook Kenshin's body. "Come on, Kenshin. We'll go to the Old Kamiya's house. Jou-chan is your responsibility, so you have to man up and look for her until you find her." He said. Kenshin coughed, and some water came out.

Sano became really irritated now. He acted like a baby. It's been a week since he decided to lock himself up, and the maids said that he hadn't eaten anything since. Sano doubted that he got any sleep. He looked tired and his eyes were hollow and dark, much like a corpse. He growled and slapped the smaller man in front of him.

"WAKE UP YOU STUPID BRAT! We have to look for Jou-chan! If we can't find her, we have to ask for forgiveness to her father, you know? Not only you, but that old man would die as well if he knew the treasured daughter just vanished into thin air!" Sano screamed.

"Leave me alone…" Kenshin mumbled, without even looking into Sano's eyes. Sano screamed in exasperation and punched the guy.

"YOU WHINY LITTLE WUSS! THIS IS WHY BOTH TOMOE AND JOU-CHAN LEFT!" He shouted at him one last time before leaving the room.

…..

**Tokyo, present day**

"I don't know how this has anything to do with this case." Aoshi interrupted the story. Sano snorted.

"Wow, you are an iceberg. I haven't even finished the story yet." He mumbled, before drinking his coffee. Suddenly, his phone rang. It was from Kenshin. Sano turned around and saw the fidgety Kenshin trying to reach him, so he answered the phone. "Yo Kenshin…. In the office, why?" Long silence on his part, before he suddenly got up. "SHIT! Yeah okay, I'm on it." He said before hanging up.

"Leaving now?" Aoshi asked, and Sano looked at him as if he just got a brilliant idea. He then grinned and grabbed Aoshi's arm.

"Yes, and you're coming with me."

**OoooO**

Kaoru cried. She really cried. This was only the second time he had seen her cry, and it wasn't angry tears like before. Kenshin looked at her and slowly encouraged himself to take her hands. They were as small and delicate as before, even though now they were a little rough. It was different compared to before, when her satin soft, white hands tucked in easily in his arms, and Kenshin always felt the need to hold onto those hands tightly because it was too soft that it could easily slipped out. Now, those hands had experienced things that he didn't know.

She tried to slip her hands away, but Kenshin grabbed them tighter. She looked down, trying to hide her face. Six years was a long time for a misunderstanding. Everything that she thought had happened behind her back had disturbed her so greatly, and now she was forced to accept that those, in fact, were untrue.

"Please let go of my hands." Kaoru whispered between her sobs. Kenshin grabbed them even harder.

"Do you think that I will let go of something that I longed for, for a long time?" He asked with a coarse, emotional voice.

"I still can't believe you. I don't know who to believe at this point." She said.

"Then, please give me a chance. You can still get rid of me whenever you want, if you're not convinced about me." He pleaded. Kaoru's body trembled. Kenshin had lost hope before, but when Sano found that private investigator, he suddenly felt that he could probably start over with Kaoru over again. He was ready to sacrifice everything to be with her again.

"I don't know…." Her barrier was weakened. She lifted up her head and looked at Kenshin with distraught and hesitation in her red eyes. "I… Kenji needs his father but…" She bit her lips.

"This time, we will announce to every single person in this world that we are married and we have a wonderful son together." Kenshin tried to assure her.

"But I… Kenshin…"

RING. RING.

Kenshin's phone rang. Kenshin sighed in annoyance as he let go if her hands and answered the phone. "Mrs. Masuda, I've told you that I don't want to be disturbed this morning." He said with a soft, but warning tone.

"_I am sorry, Himura-san, but today the new general manager your father appointed to work directly under you is coming from England. He was supposed to go around the factory, and I need your permission for that."_ She said. Kenshin sighed. It was probably another one of his father's "spies" who was placed to watch the company he owned and ran.

"Fine. By the way, What's his name? My father always does things out of the blue." He asked.

"_Kiyosato Akira-san, Sir." _Mrs. Masuda said, and Kenshin froze. Kiyosato Akira. If he didn't play this right, that guy would be the self-destruct button for him and Tomoe.

"Tomoe…" He whispered, suddenly realized what her weird behaviour about. "Mrs. Masuda, do you know Tomoe's schedule for today? Do you know where she is now?"

Kaoru's heart sank when she heard the name. Tomoe. Again. The name that haunted her for so many years, even when she was already away from him. The news of their church wedding, the parties they attended together, reported by magazines, their new penthouse in the most prestigious complex… One magazine even called them the it couple in socialite world. They were not even married legally, but they had everything that Kaoru wanted when she was married with Kenshin. She wanted recognition. She wanted to be Mrs. Himura in those magazines. She wanted to be able to hold hands with Kenshin on the streets, and in the social events. She agreed to keep their marriage a secret, but after awhile she felt suffocated. She didn't like seeing those women who though that Kenshin was available and they could try their luck with him. She didn't like seeing Kenshin in a bachelor of the month list. She didn't like seeing him alone in TV, where she could've been with him, then and there.

Kenshin hung up and looked at Kaoru. "Sorry, I just need to make a phonecall outside. Please wait for me." He said, and Kaoru smiled bitterly.

Look, she chose Tomoe over her again.

She took her bag and stood up. "I'd better leave now, Kenshin." She said, and Kenshin's face turned pale.

"Th-then… can we meet like this again, just the two of us?" He asked anxiously, and Kaoru forced a chuckle.

"Aoshi-san advised me not to meet without his presence, so next time we'll just be talking seriously about custody and stuff. I can't stay long in Tokyo, anyway. I don't want to leave Kenji for too long, so I'll just be here for a couple of weeks. Just enough to take care of the divorce." She said, leaving some money on the table and walked away. Kenshin growled and chased her, grabbed her arms and pulled her.

" I am not letting you go." He dragged Kaoru back to their seat, forced her to sit before sitting beside her and wrapped his arms around her so that he couldn't move. His other hand dialed Tomoe's number on his cellphone and waited, but no answer. He then called another number.

"Sano… Where are you?" He asked, and then sighed. "Can you check where Kiyosato Akira is, and where Tomoe is? If they're meeting, something bad might happen." He said, and then hung up. He turned his head towards Kaoru.

"I'm not letting you go this time." He repeated desperately, and Kaoru shivered.

"I'm not going anywhere, so please let go of me. You're started to hurt me." She asked, and Kenshin let go, realizing that he might have gone too far. He was always treating her like a fragile glass, touching her gently, so afraid to break her, but today he didn't seem to care about those things. Let her shatter, as long as she was there with him.

"Kenji is here." He said, and Kaoru's face turned grim.

"YOU TOOK HIM AND BROUGHT HIM HERE WITHOUT MY CONSENT?" She asked angrily. Kenshin sighed.

"No… No… Misao-san brought him here, because he was really bored and he had been whining about wanting to come here." He told her, and she looked at him suspiciously. "You can meet him if you want to, but don't scold Misao-san. She's just trying to cheer him up." He added.

"Fine." She said. Kenshin sighed.

"I need to take care of something first." He said as he put some money on the table. He stood up and grabbed Kaoru's hand. "Come."

"I have my car!" She exclaimed.

"Someone will take care of it. I told you, I am NOT letting you go." He said seriously. Kaoru frowned. He did say that a lot today, but she didn't know that he wanted to be so clingy, like a panda towards his bamboo.

**OoooO**

"Did you find her? Great, where is she? Okay… I'm heading there." Kenshin hung up and saw Kaoru who stared nonchalantly outside the car window. He sighed, a little unsettled, but for some reason a little happy as well. They never really sat in the same car for a long period of time.

"I made your coffee recipe into a canned drink, you know. Long time ago, you told me you would like to turn that recipe into a mass produced canned coffee." He said, trying to make a conversation. Kaoru smiled.

"Yes, I know. You stole my idea and made big profit out of it." She replied calmly, although the words were a little harsher than she intended to be. Kenshin bit his lips.

"Sorry. I just thought that this way, you could enjoy it no matter where you are." He uttered softly. Kaoru chuckled.

"Wow. I can't believe that you're not ticked off from that remark. You really are only sensitive when it has something to do with Tomoe." She said with a smile that didn't reach her eyes. Kenshin sighed, and Kaoru continued. "It's okay, you know. After this you're going to be able to marry her for real."

There was a red traffic light in front of them, and Kenshin hit the break a little too hard. Kaoru jumped and almost hit her head on the dashboard if she didn't wear her seatbelt so high up close to her neck.

"This is why I was ticked off. I told you so many times that I want to be with you, yet you seem to ignore it. You kept on talking about Tomoe. It was all just a big misunderstanding. Moreover, I meant every word I said, Kaoru. Please take this seriously and stop saying things that you don't really mean." He pleaded.

"I am pretty serious. If you only want my son, make one with Tomoe, because I am not giving Kenji to you." Kaoru retorted and turned her face towards the window again, ignoring him. Kenshin gritted his teeth in irritation and impatience.

"For god's sake… LOOK AT ME!" He screamed, took her chin and forced her to look at him. Kaoru flinched in shock and pushed him away.

"You're hurting me!" She shouted back, but he didn't seem to care anymore. He grabbed Kaoru's small body and pushed her against the car door, preventing hr to move around, before leaning towards her and forcefully kissed her. Kaoru struggled and pushed him back, but this time he didn't budge. Once his lips were really sealed onto Kaoru's, he pulled her and crushed her into his tight embrace, where he could feel every inch of her body, and forced his tongue inside her. He could feel her biting his lips and tongue, and he could even taste blood, but he really didn't care. He had wanted to do this for a long time. One of his hands began to travel violently from her knee towards her inner thigh. Kaoru shrieked wordlessly. She knew that Kenshin had lost his senses, and he could have had his way with her then and there, in the car with almost transparent window in the middle of the street, if he wanted to. Her resistance weakened and her tears came falling from her eyes.

Only when Kaoru started sobbing, he slowly came back to his senses. He broke her again. She was his for a few seconds, but now she shattered like a vase smashed on the floor. He was wrong again. He was at fault again.

He let go of his tight grip and broke the kiss. Kaoru sank into her seat, and Kenshin caressed her hair affectionately.

"I love you." He whispered softly between his gritted teeth and looked at her with agony and guilt. It was dead silent for a split second, before they both heard the honking sound from the cars behind them. Kenshin inhaled and stepped on the gas pedal. The car started moving, and Kaoru looked outside the window again, sobbing quietly.

**OoooO**

"Tomoe!" Sano called. From the booth in the most secluded place of the restaurant, Tomoe and Akira looked up. They didn't seem to be too surprised, though.

"Sano." She called.

"Excuse us for a bit." Sano said while walking passed their table. Instead, he sat in front of a complete stranger, who was reading a newspaper. Sano took his newspaper violently, and looked at the stranger condescendingly. "Really? Newspaper? Isn't it a bit old-fashioned?" He asked with a smirk. The stranger flinched as Sano took the camera he hid behind the newspaper away. He went through the picture, and after awhile, he opened the memory card place and took it. "Thanks buddy." Sano said with a grin.

When he was about to leave the stranger's table, Aoshi grabbed that guy by the collar. He rummaged through his shirt and pulled out a long microphone and cord, connected to a recording device. As soon as Aoshi let his grip loose, the guy pushed him and ran away. Aoshi sighed.

"When you're raiding someone, don't do it half heartedly." He said before throwing the recording device to Sano. Sano caught it and snorted, couldn't believe that he was outsmarted by a lawyer from a small island. Then again, this wasn't even his job. Aoshi and Sano turned to the couple, who seemed to be shocked that they're tailed, and then sat with them.

"Kenshin will be here soon." Sano said.

He was right. Not long after that, Kenshin entered with Kaoru. Sano stood up, a little surprised, and then jumped to hug Kaoru.

"JOU-CHAAAAAAAAAAN!" He practically lifted Kaoru up from the floor and swayed her from side to side. Kaoru laughed and tried to pat his back with her restrained hands.

"I miss you, Sano." She said, genuinely happy to see her cheerful friend. She then looked at Aoshi and frowned. "Weird things have been happening lately, so I'm not surprised. But still, I have to ask; why are you here?"

"He dragged me here." Aoshi said simply. Tomoe and Akira stood up.

"Kaoru-chan…" Tomoe greeted her awkwardly, but Kaoru smiled and bowed.

"Tomoe-san… and this is…?"

"Kiyosato Akira. I'm a friend of Tomoe's from England. I'll be working under Himura-san." He said, bowing back towards Kaoru.

"Not friend. He's Tomoe's boyfriend." Kenshin said while dragging two chairs and made sure Kaoru was seated first before he sat down. Kaoru frowned and looked at Kenshin cluelessly. Kenshin chucked and explained. "She was forced to break up with him to marry me, so they've been having an affair behind our family's back, with my help."

"I see..." Kaoru bit her lips, not knowing what else to say. Kenshin was going to say something, but then his eyes fell on the gadgets in front of him.

"So, what happened?" He asked.

"A guy tried to take pictures of them. Maybe he's a private investigator or something." Sano told him. Aoshi coughed.

"He's connected to the media." He said simply, and all eyes fell on him. Aoshi sighed. "You could say that he's a paparazzi."

Akira looked at him with a confused face. "But I just landed yesterday. I only called Tomoe today morning for an impromptu meeting and she agreed. There's no way that anyone could find out so fast."

"It is possible if you were followed since yesterday," Kenshin said. He sighed and leaned back. "It's probably my father and Tomoe's father's doing. He did something similar to Kaoru in the past." He uttered in a tired voice.

"What did he do?" asked Akira.

"He took compromising pictures of Tomoe and I, and sent them to Kaoru, making it looked like that we were actually having an affair." Akira looked surprised, Aoshi suddenly paid more attention to him, while Tomoe looked a little startled.

"He… Did that?" She asked with a soft, but incredulous tone. "I know he did a lot of stuff. I didn't know that he dared to do these things." She muttered, and Akira patted her back. Sano grinned.

"Well, at least Jou-chan knows now. Let's form a plan so that Kenshin and Jou-chan, and Tomoe and Akira could be together again!" He suggested excitedly. Kaoru sighed.

"I don't really wish to be included in this. But if I could be of help in any ways, I'd be glad to try." She said. Tomoe looked at her.

"Kaoru-chan… You said that as if you're still going to divorce him…" She said carefully. Kaoru smiled.

"Yes." She answered too briefly, and everyone's heads turned towards her as if she said something really dreadful.

"What…" Sano muttered in confusion. Kenshin smiled.

"It's okay. This is between Kaoru and I. I will feel relieved as long as I could help both of you." He told Akira and Tomoe with a smile.

So, for another half an hour, Kenshin and Kaoru sat there, trying to ignore the uncomfortable sight from their friends.


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: RK isnt mine.

AN: Oh god suuuch a long time! I've been busy with work and I will be moving again soon :( Here's the new chapter of the intersection, I hope that you're still reading it (helloooo... anybody here? lol). I can't believe that I have commited myself for 10 chapters, because I am a person who never finishes what I have started, so I'm a little proud of myself. I hope you like this chapter. This chapter is just something to ease my way into the fanfiction world again since it's been awhile since I last wrote them. I hope you like it, so dont forget to review. ENJOOOY!

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The intersection

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DING DONG.

Misao gulped as she saw the elevator connecting her penthouse suite kept on blinking. No one but her was supposed to have access to the penthouse, yet the elevator sign is blinking rapidly, which means that someone had managed to reach her floor. She had thought that it probably a thief, a pro thief like in the movies. She ran to the kitchen and took a long, lean flower vase and took a stance in front of the elevator. In a few seconds, the light stopped blinking, and the elevator door slowly opened.

"DIE YOU THIEF!"

"ORO!"

That was no thief. It was Kenshin, who skillfully did a shirahadori, as if the vase was a sword. Behind him, Kaoru walked out of the elevator. Misao screamed at the sight. Kaoru grinned an evil grin.

"Hello Misao." She said with a wave.

Misao pulled Kenshin's necktie and hissed, "you told me Kaoru wouldn't know about this!"

"But look… She's not mad… Right, Kaoru?" He asked Kaoru, and Kaoru snorted.

"Riiight…" She said unconvincingly while walking around the big penthouse. "Where's Ken-chan?"

"In the toilet. He's been awhile. I told him to come out, but he locked the door instead." Misao said, and Kaoru walked to the outside bathroom. "Ken-chan… Mummy's here… What are you doing in the bathroom alone?" She knocked and asked. Slowly, the door was opened and suddenly, the room became really smelly. Kenshin cringed his nose walked closer.

"Kenji, you are polluting the room. Come out and tell us what happened." He asked him gently, and Kenji's head popped out of the little slit of the door. His face looked rather green.

"Tou-chan, Kaa-chan, I can't poo… My tummy is grumbling, but I don't poo…" He said with a sad face. Kaoru laughed and held his half-naked boy. She moved him to the bed, put his underwear on and tucked him in. Kenshin called up the room service and told them to order him some papaya, a lot of mineral water and a heating pad. Misao giggled looking at the weird family, and took her bag.

"You know what, I see that you're handling his constipation well, so I'll just go around for awhile. I really want to go to that 109 Shibuya building to see what's the hype is is all about..." She said. Kenshin smiled.

"If you want to be sent by a car, just tell the concierge your room number and tell them that you need a car. They will help you, and you can use the car the whole day." He said.

"Thanks Himura. Ciao!" She then disappeared from the bedroom. Kenshin sighed and looked at Kenji, who, even though he didn't look green anymore, looked pretty uncomfortable.

"Help is on the way. Just close your eyes and curl up to warm yourself. When you're awake, we'll eat some papaya and drink some water, and you'll be able to poo again." Kenshin said cheerfully. Kenji looked at him and frowned.

"No way, Daddy's never home so he doesn't know the tummy ache rule." Kenji said, and Kenshin looked at Kaoru confusedly, silently asking for explanation. Kenji pulled her mom's clothes. "Mummy, show Daddy." He asked her cutely. Kaoru sighed. She went inside the blanket and curled up with him.

First, we will curl up like this so that Kenji's back is warm…" She said, curling up in a comfortable position. "And then we will rub Kenji's tummy until he falls asleep… Right, Kenji?" Kaoru asked cutely and Kenji grinned.

"That's right! Come, Daddy… Curl up with Kenji!" He said. Kenshin took off his tie and his belt, and took out all the phones, keys and wallet he had with him. He curled up into the blanket, until Kaoru could only see two hairy red ball. One big and the other one was small. Kenshin frowned as he hugged and rubbed Kenji's tummy, wondering if he did it right, and Kaoru giggled before disappearing into the pantry.

Three hours later, Kenshin opened his eyes, only to realize that he had fallen asleep with Kenji as well. He got up and saw Kaoru sitting in the living room, watching TV while sipping a cup of tea elegantly. She looked like one of those models who came out from his hotel's ad. Kenshin fixed his hair a little and sat beside Kaoru.

"What time is it?" He asked with a coarse voice before yawning tiredly. Kaoru looked at her watch.

"3PM."

"Crap." He was going to get up when Kaoru chuckled and started pouring some tea into a fresh cup.

"I have called Sano to tell Mrs. Masuda that you have an urgent business outside the office." She said while offering the cup to Kenshin. "Drink some." She said. Kenshin drank it and sighed.

"I can't believe I fell asleep trying to get a kid to fall asleep." He said and Kaoru giggled.

"It happened to me a lot too." She said while changing the channel. "There's some fried rice in the kitchen." She said. Kenshin scratched his head and stood up.

"Have you eaten?" He asked.

"Yeah, when you were asleep."

He walked to the kitchen and saw that the fried rice wasn't actually the fried rice sold in the hotel, but the fried rice from the rundown food stall across the hotel that Kenshin loved so much. Everytime he came to survey the hotel, he always had to eat the fried rice from that stall. It was scary how Kaoru even knew about this. Kenshin smiled as he brought the fried rice to the living room.

"God knows how you know about this." He said while taking the first spoonful.

"I was stalking you." She said with a shrug before going back to channel switching. Kenshin looked at her weirdly and she chuckled. "Oh don't worry, after this weekend you don't have to worry about me invading your privacy anymore."

"Well, I don't mind."

"Don't mind what?"

"You, invading my privacy." He said casually while taking another bite.

**OoooO**

After Akira's and her ruined meeting, Tomoe didn't even have the mood to go anywhere, but she had to go to the office anyway. Sano just called her and told her that Kenshin was still taking care of things with Kaoru. She, as the co-leader of the company, had to "greet" the new general manager, which was Akira. She had to take him around the production hall and then familiarize with other department. One thing she didn't get; how did Akira even stuck here?

Unlike Kenshin and her who had privileges since they were born, Akira was born into a middle class family. He was in England on scholarship, so now that he had finished his studies, he really needed to focus on job hunting, because he needed money to take care of his parents. He had worked before in a decent place, with decent position and salary before he chose to go to England. Now that he was back, he tried to apply to the same place, but they rejected him. Tomoe could understand this, with the recession, they tried to cut back. Tomoe could still understand when he didn't get a job anywhere. He was an expensive worker, with his degree and his experience, the company had to pay him double. If she hadn't known him, she wouldn't hire him either, considering the bad economy.

A few months back, Kenshin's father suddenly told him that he had a perfect candidate for the general manager that Kenshin had been looking for. He told him to try this new guy for several months. A graduate from one of the top universities in England, vast experience, and able to speak in several languages. Naturally, Kenshin accepted, because even though he didn't really trust his father personally, he admitted that business-wise, his father had a good instinct and would never do anything to jeopardize the business.

No one knew until now that he was Kiyosato Akira.

What kind of sick game was this?

Tomoe couldn't help but to feel that there was something behind his employment. She couldn't think of any. She was married to Kenshin, or at least her family thought she was, the company was going great and the merger benefited Both Himura and Yukishirou family greatly. The only reason that Tomoe could think of about Akira's appearance was to break up Kenshin and her marriage. But why? Everything had been doing so great.

Was it about heir? Did Kenshin's father found out about Kaoru giving birth to Kenshin's son? It couldn't be, because Kenshin said the Kamiya family would do everything to protect Kaoru and her son. Kenshin couldn't even track where Kaoru was for the last six years, because her family erased all traces that would lead him to Kaoru's place. Especially now that Kamiya family had an equal standing to Himura family, unlike the time when Kaoru married Kenshin. Before, the Kamiyas had to follow what the Himuras had to say because they were inferior in the business world, but after Kaoru disappeared, they rose to the top and they became big, not only nationally, but in international caliber as well, despite the drawback other companies faced because of the economy instability.

However, Yukishirou company was also on the equal standing with Himura and Kamiya. Moreover, they were steadier both in management and income because they had been on that spot for long, unlike the Kamiya company. There was still no reason for her so-called father in law to break their marriage.

Tomoe walked absentmindedly towards her office when Mrs. Masuda stopped her. She looked really scared and confused.

"Afternoon, Mrs. Masuda." She greeted her.

"Anooo… Himura-san… There's a guest for you… He looked odd, though, so I suggest that you keep the door opened." Mrs. Masuda said. Tomoe opened the door and her eyes widened.

It was like a nostalgic feeling in the room. The white haired guy with piercings, eccentric designer clothes and John Lennon shades was sitting impolitely on her table, instead of her sofa or chairs. He was messing around with her magazines, smelling the page that Tomoe thought had a free sample perfume on it.

"Nee-san!" He greeted her cheerfully. Tomoe's eyes widened and she smiled widely. A smile she rarely showed to anyone.

"Enishi-kun…"

Enishi hopped off the table and hugged his sister tightly. It's been a few years since they last met, and He had missed her terribly. Tomoe hugged him and then pushed him and touched his face so that she could examine him. He had grown more mature than the last time she saw her, before he left to study abroad. But, he was seventeen years old boy who didn't want to separate from his sister then, and in front of her now was a confident, twenty two years old man.

"Look at you… You have grown a lot…" She whispered, and Enishi showed her the same cheeky smile she remembered he always had.

"I'm back now, Nee-san! I'm here to protect you! Father and mother might be too blind to see how wretched the Himura family really is, but I know everything! After using us like this, they are trying to get rid of you by enticing you with Akira-san! With your words, Onee-san, I will mount Himura Kenshin to death before he hurts you further!" He said.

"No, Enishi. No. Kenshin never tried to hurt me. He tries hard to help me with Akira…" Tomoe said, and Enishi snorted.

"So Akira's appearance right after he found his legal wife is not a coincidence?" He asked angrily. Tomoe bit her lips. But then she looked at Enishi confidently.

"I believe in Kenshin, and I also believe in myself, that I can solve this problem. You don't have to worry, just take care of our family and the company for me." She said with an assuring tone.

"Don't you remember, he dumped you and then married that woman! After that woman ran away, he then pretended to marry you. He didn't even want to let go his legal wife! He thinks of you as a toy he can dump and pick up anytime he wants!" He exclaimed, and Tomoe touched his lips with an anxious face.

"Please don't be too loud… Just promise me, don't do anything rash. I don't know how do you know about the deal with Kaoru, but don't tell anyone about this." She pleaded. Enishi looked at her.

"All the higher positioned employees in this company know about this! I have people in here as well you know. I know about how Kenshin just barged into the office one day and screamed at his lawyer about his legal wife. The managers heard that, you know! They are just smart enough not to talk about this in front of their subordinates. Are you not ashamed about this?" He asked forcefully.

"Enishi… Please…" Tomoe looked at her sadly. Enishi sighed.

"Fine. But know this; my life is for you, Nee-san. I will eliminate anyone who hurt you, even if they're our own parents." He reminded her before leaving her office. Tomoe fell on the sofa and sank weakly.

"You don't know… Enishi…" She whispered.

**Tokyo, 2 years ago**

"What's wrong, Tomoe? You wanted to get married to Kenshin before!" asked her mother. Tomoe shook her head.

"People change, Mother. It's been years since we have forgotten about each other's love. We're friends now, but I have no intention in marrying him." She said clearly.

"This is all because of that Akira guy! I can't believe that you moved in with him! Even Himura-san knows about this! What a disgrace!" She screamed.

"Mother…"

"It's lucky that he still wanted to accept a woman like you, and you're going to repay his kindness with rejection?" She asked sharply.

"Don't you know that he was married?" Tomoe asked back.

"Yes! I know that Kenshin married that crazy girl who ran away with another man. Himura-san helped that girl's father, and she repaid him by running away. My job here is to guarantee that you're not going to be like her." The mother said mockingly. Tomoe shook her head.

"My decision is final."

Her mother chuckled, and then took out a picture. Tomoe's eyes widened. It was Kiyosato family picture. Akira, his father and mother.

"Do you know who they are? Akira's father, a principal in a public high school. His mother was a nurse in nearby hospital, but she retired before her son left to England. Rumours said that Akira's father has a fatal disease that would kill him pretty soon if it's not treated properly. Also, from what I know, Akira's effort to get a job has been in vain. Their money is not going to be enough for the medical treatment, you know." Her mother took out a piece of paper and gave it to Tomoe. It was Akira's father's medical record. "Now, we can help him, only if you help us." She added. Tomoe looked at her mother bitterly.

"I can't believe you…"

"Well, then, Tomoe. Tell me your decision."

Tomoe closed her eyes. Like she had a choice now.

"Fine. I will marry Kenshin."

"Not only that, you have to make sure that this wedding really is on. If Kenshin's family cancels, then we'll cancel the funding for the medical treatment as well. We will expose this wedding to the media. That way, Himura family can't run away from it anymore." She said. Tomoe shook her head incredulously. She couldn't believe that this woman actually raised her for twenty nine years.

She left the house and went back to her apartment. On the way, Kenshin called.

"How's the meeting with your parents?" He asked. Tomoe sighed.

"They have Akira's family in their grip." She said. Kenshin went silent, and then chuckled bitterly.

"I can't run away either. Anyone who will help me oppose my father, be it, Sano, you or even my uncle Hiko, will be doomed before they know it. I don't know what to do anymore… "

"We have no choice, do we?" She asked quietly.

**OoooO**

**Tokyo, present day**

"Are you done eating?" asked Kaoru when Kenshin entered the pantry with an empty plate. Kenshin put it on the counter and saw Kaoru grinding a cinnamon stick, and a few other spices. Kenshin looked at the grinder with a confused face, wondering how she could get such tool, and Kaoru smiled. "I asked the room service to bring me these from their kitchen using Misao's name." She said as if she was reading his mind. "Apparently you give her so much power to abuse in this hotel. They even got me this induction stove when I tried to ask one. So I figured that I would try asking for a ridiculous thing, like a Vespa, and it really scared me when they asked me what colour and type do I want my Vespa in." She continued with a giggle. Kenshin smiled and watched him as she brewed some tea, and then mixed those spices with the tea, before she added cream and brandy. Kenshin smiled.

"This has been my favourite drink for a long time, but I never know the actual name of the drink." He said. Kaoru chuckled softly.

"Well, I created this when you cancelled our honeymoon. And anyways, the name is a little… Well… You know." She replied.

"No I don't . Is it full of contempt towards me? I'm curious." He said.

Kaoru took a deep breath. "The name… it's 'Marriage'. That's the name I picked for the drink." She said. Kenshin went silent. Kaoru stirred the tea, which she heated up on the stove, and continued. "The drink is actually a pair; coffee for the morning, and tea at night. Sometimes it's bitter, and then sweet, but most of the time it's flavoursome. The scents are always different, but there's a sort of familiarity within, it doesn't matter whether you drink it as a morning coffee, or evening tea, you can still taste that familiar flavour. It's also a little intoxicating and sometimes a little bitter. I thought that the taste suits the name." She explained softly. She then turned off the induction stove and poured the tea into two large cups.

Kenshin, who was silent before, sighed. "I have no idea what are you trying to do. You're nice to me, and then you bring me down. And then you smiled again, knowing perfectly well that I would come crawling to you. You're acting like a perfect wife around me, and then when I reacted, you dumped me flat. Tell me, what should I do?" He asked quietly. Kaoru didn't answer. She just moved from the kitchen and sat on the fancy bar and drank her tea quietly. Kenshin sighed and sat beside her. "Thank you, the tea is really good." He complimented, and braved himself to pat her shoulder. He had lost control earlier today and forced a kiss on her, so he felt a little awkward now.

He was a little surprised when she touched his hand which was sitting on her shoulder. It went so naturally that it didn't feel out of place. Again, something went over him. Not anger like he felt in the car, not a feeling of overpowering her. He suddenly remembered the happier time. They were always awkward towards each other, yes, but there were times when he knew that they were happy.

"I have no idea what you're thinking either. One minute you're angry, and then the next minute you'd smile again like nothing happened." She said softly. She drank her tea and continued. "I spent my whole life obsessing about you, learning about you and when I married you, I thought I knew you well enough. It turns out that I don't know anything about you at all, which is ironic."

"That's true."

Kaoru looked at him. "You know I love you, even until now. I have built my life around you since I was born. I always asked myself 'would Kenshin like this?' everytime I did something. I wore colours that you love, I did things according to your likings, and even after I left you, I can't get through one day without thinking about you. I had everything; pictures of your and Tomoe's wedding, magazine and newspaper cuts about you… For more than twenty y ears, I seek solitude and sanctuary in you, even though you never realized it. I cursed myself for that."

"Surprisingly, I kind of get what you mean. For six years, I've been obsessed about looking for you." He said. He looked at her with darkened eyes. "Do you regret living your life for me? Do you regret being what you are now because of me?"

Kaoru smiled widely. "No. I never regretted it. I love myself and I love who I have become. I took beverage management course because I know you love to cook, and I want to accompany your cooking with nice drinks that I made myself. I listen to jazz and old rock because you like them, but I'm glad that you sort of introduced me to them because I really do love jazz more than any other kinds of music. There are many other things that I am grateful about." She paused, and then looked at Kenshin seriously. "At the same time, Kenshin, I want to stop being a doll that only caters to your preference. For six years I was confused, numerous time I unconsciously asked myself 'is Kenshin going to like this?' only to remember that it really doesn't matter, because you're not around and I don't have to please you anymore."

Kenshin looked at her with an uneasy face as he held Kaoru's hand. "That sounded like a farewell speech to me." He said. Kaoru chuckled.

"I just think that I owe you my true feelings and all." She said with a bright smile. "Thank you for listening."

Kenshin sighed and smiled a bitter smile. "What am I going to do now? It seems that you'll be happier without me." He said sadly.

Kaoru chuckled. For the first time, she actually felt strong. It wasn't as if she never broke down and fell into the bottom of the hole, but the fact that she was still living and surviving until today, and the fact that she could smile and explained everything calmly to the person who she loved and she hated the most, the same person that drove her to the brink of insanity actually surprised her and made her realize that she was stronger than she thought she was.

"It's not that I'm completely happy, but this time, I will let myself live… for myself. No matter how hard it is." She said calmly. Kenshin nodded and let go of her hands.

"Then I will wish for your happiness." He said with a strained smile.

Kaoru looked at the two empty cups in front of her. It's finally coming to an end.


End file.
